


UNSEEN...

by Gameguy199



Series: Shy Mikey [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Coming Out, Coming of Age, M/M, Turtlecest, tcest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-15 00:52:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3432020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gameguy199/pseuds/Gameguy199
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Its been 4 years since Mikey was injured. Now the brothers are 18 and Splinter has decided it's time for them to begin patrolling the surface. Unfortunately because of the damage from his injury Mikey is unable to join his brothers on patrols. </p><p>But the surface isn't the only dangerous thing in the brother's lives. Mikey is suffering from depression, and the brothers worry that he might hurt himself. So they ask Leatherhead to step in and help.</p><p>Except Leatherhead has his own opinions about how Mikey should be treated </p><p>With 3 factions battling it out for control of New York can the turtles keep safe while dealing with their own developing hormones?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. UNSEEN emotions PART 1

They were all trembling they were so excited. Looking to his right Donnie found that even Raph was wearing the kind of nervous grin that they all had plastered across their face. Today was the day, today FINALLY, after 18 years of training, meditating, and preparing…..they were going on their first nighttime patrol of the city.

They all looked up as the doors to the dojo slid open. They reacted out of instinct, kneeling as master splinter slowly strode into the dojo before beginning to walk back and forth inspecting them. They all remained silent, their hearts in their chests as the wised old rat looked each of them up and down.

After several minutes splinter stopped, turning to look at them all with a strong gaze. “My sons……..” their hearts skipped several beats. For the past 2 weeks they had gone through this routine only to have splinter tell them they had failed inspection and would not be going to the surface. “…..you have passed my inspection.”

A moment later the air was filled with cheers and cries of joy. Splinter raised his hand silencing the cheers almost instantly. “Do not be reckless. Remember your training. Listen to each other and your instincts. And above all…….come back home safe.”

All of them nodded but Leo spoke. “We will master. I promise.”

Splinter shifted, turning to look directly at Leo who bit his lip. No matter how accomplished he was splinter’s gaze had a way of humbling him to his core. “You are their leader Leonardo. Lead them, if need be remind them of your statues. But always remember there is a fine line between being a leader and being a tyrant. Always remember that swinging your swords amounts to nothing if there isn’t compassion from their wielder.”

Leo nodded and bowed. “I understand master.”

Splinter smiled before turning to Raphael. “Beware your anger Raphael. There are many injustices on the surface. You will want to fix them all. But you will not be able to. You must control yourself, master your anger, discipline your fears, and above all protect that which is most dear to your heart.”

Raphael nodded and bowed. “I will father.”

Again splinter nodded before slowly turning to fix his gaze on Donatello. “Donatello…….. Your mind is your greatest weapon. Never neglect it but be careful not to overuse it either. The world is not as black and white as your mind will wish it to be. You cannot help everyone. Help those you can but do not ever extend yourself.”

Donatello bit his lip but nodded and bowed. “Y….yes master.”

Letting out a low sigh splinter turned, his heart clenching painfully as he looked to where he’d hoped his fourth son might someday stand before him, as a ready and capable warrior. Sadly this had not been the case. Although Michelangelo had recovered from his injuries enough to lead a mostly ‘normal’ life; his injuries were too much and prevented him from resuming his training.

Sighing again splinter recalled the first time they had tried to resume Mikey’s training. Things had gone fine until they had begun to spare. He could remember the look of determination that Michelangelo had shown; how he’d gritted his teeth as he tried to fight through the pain. But in the end the pain had be too great and they had been forced to stop.

“Master…..” shaken from his thoughts splinter blinked, finding that his sons had moved and were now standing around him. “We’ll be ok master…..”

Splinter bit his lip but nodded. “I know my sons. I know. Now……go……..before I change my mind.”

His son’s smiled before moving in, pulling him into a hug for a moment before letting go. When Raphael spoke his voice was filled with excitement. “LAST ONE TO THE SURFACE IS A ROTTN TURTLE EGG!”

Despite the apprehension in his stomach splinter could not help but smile as he watched his 3 sons trip and scramble over each other; each one of them wanting to be the first to the surface.

 

 

** DONNIE’S POV **

They were almost out of the lair when it caught his eye. The small flickering light that was on in his lab. Slowly he came to a stop, no longer trying to be the first one out of the lair. In front of him Leo and Raph continued to wrestle; trying to be the first one out of the lair. Making up his mind Donnie changed course, turning so instead of moving towards the entrance to the lair he was instead standing at the door of his lab. Taking a deep breath Donnie knocked gently on the door, before slowly pushing it open.

He knew what he would find inside the lab; but at the same time he could not help but hope he wouldn’t. As the door swung open he found Mikey sitting alone, one of Leo’s practice swords in one hand and a polishing cloth in the other. “Mikey….”

Donnie watched as Mikey turned, a smile covering his face as he looked at him. “Yeah Donnie? Did you need anything?”

Donnie shook his head. “No……I just……we’re gunna go out now. I just thought I should let you know.”

He watched Mikey closely. Noting the smile never left Mikey’s face. In truth he hated that smile. Something about it was wrong. It was…….fake; like a mask Mikey would put on when he didn’t want them to know how he was feeling. After a moment Mikey responded. “Ok. Be……being safe. Ok?”

Donnie nodded. “I…..we will.”

He knew Leo and Raph were waiting for him. Knew that they had all wanted this about as badly as they had ever wanted something. And yet…..the sight and thought of Mikey sitting there…….alone…… “Mikey……..I could…..stay……if-”

For a fraction of a second he saw it. The fake mask of happiness Mikey was wearing faltered, an expression of……hope…….flickering across Mikey’s young face. But almost at once the expression vanished. “No Donnie. I’ll be fine. Now go, before they leave without you.”

Donnie could not help but sigh. He recognized the tone Mikey was speaking in. it was the tone Mikey used when he did not want to talk about something any further. Smiling weakly Donnie nodded. “Ok. We’ll see you when we get back.”

Mikey nodded. “ok. Bye.”

Biting his lip Donnie turned and left the lab. In truth he didn’t want to; despite what he had been feeling minutes ago he was consumed with the need to stay here. And yet he knew that no matter what excuse or reason he came up with Mikey would never believe it.

Joining Leo and Raph on the other side the lair entrance he spoke. “Ok. I’m ready.”

It was Raph who responded his voice soft with a sad tone to it. “How is he?”

Donnie sighed and fell in line as they began to walk. “Sad; but he’s doing his best to hide it.”

Across from him Leo sighed. “I…..I wish he could come with us.”

All three of them nodded. It was undoubtedly a universal wish amongst them. After a few moments Raph spoke. “Well…..come on. We still have a patrol to do.”

The other two nodded. Even if they were upset that Mikey would not be joining them they could not deny how excited they were to be going to the surface for their first patrol.

 

 

** MIKEY’S POV **

Alone in the lab he did as he’d been shown. Gripping Leo’s practice sword by the hilt while running the polishing cloth along the metal surface until it sparkled and shown brilliantly. Setting that sword down Mikey picked up another, then another, and another……….

He wasn't really focusing on his work, not really. It was just busy work. Something to keep his hands busy.

“My son?”

Turning Mikey watched as splinter shuffled into the lab. “Yes master splinter?”

He watched as splinter slowly moved, sitting down on the floor next to him. “Are you alright my son?”

He nodded. “Yes I’m…….fine.”

It was a lie. But it was what he knew his father wanted to hear. Reaching down to pick up a one of Raph's sais he began to polish the weapon.

He could feel splinter’s gaze on him, watching him, scanning him; looking for any signs that what he said was a lie. He tried to ignore it, to block it out. To show splinter exactly what he wanted to see.

After several moments splinter spoke. “Very well my son. I believe you……if you have need of me I will be in my room meditating.”

Turning Mikey did his best to smile reassuringly at his father. “Ok. Once I’m done with this I have to finish washing and folding the laundry and then I have to sweep the lair. But I’ll bring you some tea when I’m done. Ok?”

Splinter felt his heart clench slightly at Mikey’s words. The brothers had used to share the chores. Each of them dividing the cleaning up amongst the 4 of them. Lately though……lately Mikey seemed to have taken it upon himself to do it all on his own, often times, waking up early to make breakfast before sweeping the entire lair, taking out the garbage, dusting, cleaning their training gear, fixing dinner, and a million other smaller chores that undoubtedly had to leave him feeling exhausted. “My son, there is no need for you to-”

But Mikey shook his head. “It’s ok splinter. I promise it won’t get in the way of me completing my chores. I’ll have the entire lair spotless and have dinner ready by the time they get back. I promise.”

Again splinter felt his heart clench. It pained him to see his son this way. To see him pushing himself so hard to accomplish something on his own that they were all willing to help him with. And yet looking at Mikey’s face he knew there was nothing he could do. If he offered to help; Mikey would refuse. If he told Mikey to stop; Mikey would refuse. It was a situation he’d found himself in a lot recently. Sighing again he spoke in a defeated tone. “Very well my son. But only if you are able. I do not want you to overexert yourself.”

He watched as Mikey smiled up at him. “I’ll be ok. I promise.”

 

 

** MIKEY’S POV **

 

 

Mikey watched as splinter slowly left the lab, offering him a final smile before closing the door behind him leaving Mikey alone once again.

Turning his attention back to Raph's weapon Mikey continued to polish the sai, before sitting it down and picking up its twin to begin polishing that one too. He needed to hurry. Like he’d told splinter he still had to sweep and do the laundry. But then he had to dust, take out the trash, water the tree in the dojo, and start dinner so he could have it ready by the time his brother’s got back from their patrol on the surface.

Biting his lip Mikey found himself worrying. Maybe…….maybe making splinter his tea was a bit much? He was already a little worried about the amount of chores he had to do. Would he have enough time to prepare splinter’s tea exactly the way he liked it?

Pausing for a moment Mikey again bit his lip. Maybe he was stretching himself to thin. Maybe…..maybe he should go to splinter and apologize. If he could just explain to splinter……….

It was true he had been slacking on the chores a bit lately. Getting up before everyone each morning to make everyone breakfast and have t ready for them when they woke up was difficult. A few times he’d dozed off while waiting for Leo’s toast, resulting in it being slightly darker than the leader liked it to be. And although Leo never said anything Mikey could only imagine that Leo was no happy about it.

Sighing Mikey felt his shoulder’s slump slightly. He’d just been so tired lately. Not just physically but…..mentally and emotionally to. He’d known that soon his brothers would begin their patrols; and he was happy for them. But…….at the same time……..he wished…….he could go with them. he….wished…..he wasn't suck down here. He wished………

He shook his head. Gripping the hilt of Raph's weapon tighter while he scrubbed at the steel blade even harder. No he was fine. So what if he had to stay down here? So what if his brother’s got to go to the surface and be ninja and he was stuck down here? So what if he was basically the family maid? So what if he never got to go to the surface? So what if he died down here in the sewers with only the memories of the surface while his brothers got to be heroes and go on adventures? So what if-  

“AHHH!”

White hot pain lanced through his hand as he felt the tip of Raph’s weapon slice through his flesh. Instantly he let go of the sai which dropped to the floor with a loud clatter. He yelped at the sound, his hands scrambling to pick up the weapon he’d dropped. He began to shake as his hand accidentally hit the hilt of the sai, sending it skittering across the floor. “No. No. No. No.”

Raph would be mad. He’d go to use the sai and find it dirty. He’d…….he’d……..he’d…….

But all thoughts vanished from Mikey’s head as he noticed something. A small red smear on the floor……blood……..his blood……..

He swallowed painfully his throat becoming painfully dry as he slowly lifted his hand to look at it. Blood was dripping from the place where Raph's sai had cut him. He watched as blood slowly left from the cut, falling in a small trickle which dripped down his finger before falling to the floor.

A moment later he snapped back to his senses, shaking his head. Great, now he’d made a bigger mess. Curing his own clumsiness Mikey got to his feet, slowly moving toward the closet where Donnie kept his cleaning supplies Mikey got out a bucket, filled it with water, carried it back over to the smear of blood he’d made and began to wipe it up.

He hissed slightly as the wet cloth pushed against his hand and the spot where he had cut himself; but he didn’t stop. He’d bandage it later, right now he was too busy with too many things to do.

Dunking the bloodied rag in the bucket Mikey again hissed as the hot water lapped at his injury making it burn and sting. But he pushed past the pain. He didn’t have time for it, he had too much to do. Returning to floor Mikey began to scrub at the stone floor more aggressively, doing his best to get up the bits of blood that had worked its way into the small cracks and divots of the concrete. He bit his lip, doing his best to push as hard as he could against the stone floor, more pain lanced through his hand as he put more pressure on his injury; but he fought back, growling at the pain. He didn’t have time for this!

Somewhere behind him the lock in the living room began to chime; 8pm. Mikey’s eyes widened. His movements became faster, slightly panicked as he scrubbed and tore at the remnants of blood on the floor. He was running late. By now he had happed to at least have started on the laundry. If he didn’t hurry up he wouldn’t finish the laundry on time which meant dinner would be late, which meant that when his brothers came home they’d have to wait for it to finish cooling.

Despite how hard he was scrubbing at the floor Mikey’s arms began to tremble. “No. No. No. No.”

He pushed even harder, silently pleading with the bits of blood still left on the floor to dissolve. No, this couldn't be happening. Keeping the lair clean was his one job; his ONLY job. It was the only thing he could do right anymore. It was the only thing he could do properly. The panic was building in his stomach now, like thousands of bugs crawling around inside him making his shake and gasp for breath as he pressed even harder against the concrete.

This was his one job, the only thing the others expected him to do; keep the lair clean. If…….if he couldn't do that…..what use was he to the family? That thought made him scrub harder. Lifting the rag off the floor to get it wet again Mikey let out a cry of alarm as he accidentally knocked the bucket over, spilling the dirtied water all over the floor of the lab.

Tears began to form in his eyes as he began to panic. The water was everywhere. There was no way he’d be able to clean it all up, and finish the rest of his chores, and have enough time to work on dinner and have it ready for the others when they got back.

He clamped his eyes shut, burying his head against his knees as he imagined his brothers coming back home. They’d be mad at him. They’d come back from a night of patrol and expect him to have dinner ready for them. But it wouldn’t be ready. They’d be mad. They’d glare at him, and silently wonder why they bothered to keep him around when he was so useless. They’de…….they’de……..

It was his job, his only job. Keep the lair clean. It was the only thing he could do anymore. But he couldn't even do that properly anymore. The tears were coming faster now, his sides shaking as he cried. If he couldn't keep the lair clean what good was he? What purpose did he have in this family if he couldn't even do the ONE thing they asked him to do?

He began to whimper, doing his best to hold back the flood of tears that threatened to split out of him as he imagined the look on Donnie’s face when he opened up the door of his lab to find water everywhere. He began to plead, his lips moving but no noise coming out as he imagined the glare of anger Donnie would give him. Donnie hated it when people messed with his lab. He HATED it when people went in there without his permission or when things were not put back EXACTLY the way he’d left them.

And all of a sudden everything changed. It was like Donnie was there, glaring down at him; silently demanding an explanation as to what had happened.  “I’m sorry……I didn’t…….I’m sorry……please…..”

He’d completely lost it. He was crying uncontrollably now as he imagined how Donnie would react. He’d snarl and yell and push Mikey away. “No…..please……..I’m sorry……”

His heart pounded in his chest so hard it hurt. His arms trembled violently and his vision was blurred by tears as he imagined what Donnie would say to him. That he was useless. That he was a burden. That he should just run away and never come back so they could all live their lives without having to have him bothering them. He began to sob even harder. It was true. It was all true.

 

** SPLINTER’S POV **

He’d been meditating when he’d heard the sound. A high pitched, startled yelp that had made his eyes snap open.  He knew that voice, it belonged to Mikey had his youngest son injured himself while cleaning? Slowly getting to his feet splinter leaned on his walking stick for support as he slowly made his way to his door and pushed it open.

By now he would have expected Mikey to have started the laundry and be in the middle of sweeping the lair. So the sight of an empty upswept living area was slightly starting to him. But he could hear more noise now; crying.

With a sense of urgency he moved in the direction of the sound moving towards Donnie’s lab.

As he neared the door the sound of crying became stronger. Pausing for a moment to catch his breath splinter mentally cursed his aging body. Yes the mutagen that had turned him into a rat had helped to extend his life, but what good was that to him if hi body was just going to whither and become useless?

But he pushed passed those thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on his predicament. Gripping the door to Donnie’s lab splinter pushed with all his might, managing to push the heavy door aside after a few moments of effort. “MY SON?”

Mikey let out a startled cry at the sound of his voice. Splinter’s eyes widened in horror as the smell of blood made his nostrils flare in alarm. A moment later Mikey scrambled away from him as though he were a monster.

“Please don't be mad! I’ll clean it up! I promise! I’m not useless! I’ll clean it up!”

Splinter felt his eyes widen in shock and horror as he found the source of the blood, Mikey’s hand. He took a step towards Mikey. The cut on Mikey’s hand wasn’t deep, but it was still leaking blood which meant that it needed to be bandaged or it could risk getting infected. “My son. You’re injured.”

He watched as Mikey looked up at him, pain, fear, and despair radiating from his blue eyes. Moving and quckly as he could splinter knelt down next to his son and moved to pull Mikey’s hand closer so he could examine it more thoroughly.

He wasn't sure how he’d expected Mikey to react. But he hadn’t expected Mikey to grab a fistful of his robs before burying his face against splinter’s chest. He did the best he could, wrapping his arms around Mikey’s shoulders as the turtle continued to sob and cry. “I’m…..not……useless…….I promised…….”

Holding his son in his arms splinter nodded, speaking in a gentle tone to try and help sooth Mikey. “I know my son. I know….”

 

 

** MEANWHILE **

It was the best feeling in the world. Charging towards the edge of the building Donnie watched as in front of him Leo and Raph leapt from building to building as though they didn’t have a care in the world.

They’d been like this from the moment they’d left the manhole. For the first time in years they felt free. Like they could literally go ANYWHERE and do ANYTHING they wanted. Coming to a stop at the edge of the roof they were on all 3 of them looked around at the seemingly endless sea of lights and sounds that was New York City. “Wanna take a break?”

Turning to look at Raph Donnie shrugged. “Sure.”

He wasn't really tired. In fact he doubted any of them were. They were all too excited and hopped up on adrenaline. He watched as Leo sighed, laying back on the roof of the building to look up at the stars while Raph leaned against and air-conditioning unit. Settling himself on the ledge of the roof Donnie did his best to make himself comfortable on the stone.

After a few moments Leo spoke. “there are so many of them. It’s………..amazing”

Looking up Donnie smiled as he found that the skies were indeed filled with stars. Each one of them gently shining down on them, like a sea of diamonds above their heads.

“Hey egghead. I wanna talk to you bout something.”

Shaken from looking at the stars Donnie turned to find that Raph had moved in closer and was now sitting next to him. nodding Donnie smiled at his brother. “What is it Raph?”

Donnie watched as Raph sighed and turned to look up at the stars for a few moments before speaking. “how ya been feeling lately Donnie?”

Donnie blinked at Raph for a moment before shrugging. “fine, I guess. A little tired. But I’ve been staying up late a lot. Why?”

Raph shrugged. “Just curious. But you’ve been feeling ok? Not……out of sorts?”

Donnie raised an eyebrow. “Out of sorts?”  


Raph nodded but shrugged. “Yeah. Like…….like thoughts in the back of your mind that won’t leave you alone. Um…….urges…….that don’t make a lot of sense to you. Maybe……thoughts that are……..different.”

Continuing to look at his older brother Donnie shook his head. “N…..No. I don't think so……..not really.”

He felt himself recoil slightly as Raph turned to look at him. “Not really?”

Biting his lip Donnie looked down at his feet. “Well………I’ve had……..a few dreams…….they’re kind of…….odd.”

Against his will Donnie let out a gentle shudder. In truth the dreams were more than just ‘odd’ they were……..embarrassing. He wasn't an idiot; he knew what puberty was and how his body was in the middle of changing. But that didn’t make the dream any less embarrassing. Knowing what was happening to his body didn’t make it any less humiliating when he’d wake up in the middle of the night and find himself aroused by his dream. And it certainly did nothing to quell the feelings of shame when he would realize the dream that had aroused him involved…….his brothers.

He felt Raph move in a little closer. “Do the dreams leave you feeling………nervous or anxious. Like……like you wanna get up and move but no matter what you do it feels……. Wrong …….like it’s just making things worse.?”

Biting his lip Donnie nodding slowly. “Yeah…….sometimes.”

Those nights could be hard. He’d bury himself in work or research, doing his best to ignore the odd itching burning wisps that seemed to cover his body and would remain there for hours.

After a moment Donnie looked up as he felt Raph touch his knee softly. “It’s ok Donnie. I know…..it’s embarrassing to talk about.”

Donnie didn’t speak, instead only nodding. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Leo sit up before moving in to sit on his other side.

He felt Leo’s shoulder brush against his. The contact making his shudder unconsciously. He bit his lip as his nostrils flared as he caught a faint whiff of Raph's scent.

He felt his heart speed up slightly. Next to him Raph continued to gently rub his knee. “It’s ok Donnie.”

Donnie bit his lip as he forced himself to hold Raph's gaze. After a moment Leo spoke. “Do you……dream about us?”

Donnie’s head snapped to look at Leo, his eyes widening as he did so. Leo only smiled weakly. “It’s ok. That’s how it started out for me and Raph too. I can remember waking up from those dreams and feeling……….like bugs were crawling all over me.”

Donnie nodded weakly. “Yeah………”

Raph spoke next. “It’s normal Donnie. Don’t feel ashamed because of them.”

Again he bit his lip. “It….it doesn’t feel normal. It’s feels……….”

Donnie’s voice trailed off as he struggled to find the right words. It wasn't that the contents of the dreams bothered him. as much as he hated to admit it………..the feelings of his brother’s body pressed against his own; the feeling of his hands gently exploring Donnie’s body…….. THAT wasn't what bothered him.

No, what bothered him was the feelings of shame that came when he awoke from such a dream to find his pouch swollen and needy; or on a few rare occasions completely retracted exposing his sensitive organ.

He knew sexual thoughts were normal for a boy his age…….but why did they have to be about his brothers? Why was it that he was aroused by the thought of Leo and Raph pinning him and kissing him?

He groaned as he felt Raph's hand slight slightly, moving up from his knee to rub his thigh. “Donnie……..look at me.”

Biting his lip Donnie did as he was told, turning to look at Raph.

A moment later his mind went blank as he felt Raph's lips connect gently with his. He felt himself shudder as Raph pressed in. unconsciously he groaned as he felt Raph's tongue gently run along his lips. A moment later his mouth opened on it’s own, allowing Raph's tongue inside, which made him moan into the kiss.

The feeling was starting to come back. That itching burning twinging feeling that seemed to fill him with energy every time he felt it.

a moment later Raph pulled back, their lips separating. Against his will Donnie let out a faint whimper at the loss of contact. It had felt SOOOOO good. Like jumping into a hot shower after a hard days practice or, jumping into a cold bath on a hot day.

He bit his lip as he struggled to bring his heartbeat back down to normal. Behind him Leo spoke. It’s ok to like the dream Donnie. it’s ok to want to kiss us and…..do more…….it’s ok.”

Turning to look at Leo Donnie spoke, his voice shaking slightly. “Are…..are….you sure?”

Leo smiled at him in response. “Yeah.”

A moment later Leo reached out, his hand coming to rest against the back of Raph's head before…..

Donnie felt his eyes widen as he watched Leo pull Raph in a kiss. His heartbeat jumped several more beats as he heard Raph moan in response to the kiss. But a moment later they parted.

Donnie felt his eyes widen as he found both Leo and Raph were blushing slightly. After a moment Leo spoke. “you’re not the first of us to feel these kinds of things. It’s normal. Ok?”

Donnie nodded slowly. “O…..ok.”

Silence lapsed between the three of them, broken when Donnie spoke again. “So……how…….how long….have you two been…….”

His voice trailed off as the mental image of Leo and Raph…..kissing…..and touching, sprang up in his mind.

Next to him Raph shrugged. “A year or so now. It’s no big deal. One of us the gets the urge, he does something subtle to tell the other, and then we both make up an excuse and go off to have some fun together.”

Again Donnie bit his lip. Could it really be so simple?

  
Next to him Leo spoke. “Donnie, we’re not saying you HAVE to join us. But……if you wanted to…..join us…….we’d be fine with that.”

Donnie felt his eyes widen. Was Leo really suggesting……letting him………

Behind him Raph spoke gently. “No pressure, no commitment. Just sex. And only if and when you came to one of us. We know this who thing is still new to you so……we wouldn’t come to you.”

Looking down at his hands Donnie began to think. It was true, this was all a little overwhelming to him. but as much as that was true he also could not deny that kissing Raph had felt……really REALLY good and part of him very much wanted to do it again. Turning he looked at Raph who smiled at him. he tried to picture it, to picture himself……and Raphael…..pressed together.

Against his will he let out a soft moan as he imagined what it would feel like, as Raph's hands slowly explored his body.

But even as the moan died another thought popped into his mind; a though he simply could not ignore.

“what about Mik-“

 

**BOOM**


	2. UNSEEN Emotions PART 2

#  **BOOM**

 

A split second after the sound of the explosion met their ears the shock wave slammed into their backs. Donnie screamed in fear as he felt his body lift off the roof before being thrown like a rag-doll. For a split second it felt like he was floating, as though gravity had let him go and he was hanging suspended in the air. But a moment later the feeling ended as he crashed roughly against the roof of the building, his face taking helping to break the fall of the rest of his body.

His ears were ringing uncontrollably as he struggled to figure out which way was up and which way was down. He thought he could hear movement, people shouting, somewhere in front of him…..maybe Leo’s voice?

Finally he was able to figure out which way was up, which allowed him to move and slowly sit up. His sides ached from the force that had hit him and he was not surprised to find that his nose was bleeding from when he had landed on his face. Looking around Donnie’s eyes widened as he found that Raph was not far from him. Struggling to move towards his brother Donnie found a mess of metal debris and wiring surrounding Raph; a sign that Raph’s body had hit and gone through the air conditioning unit he'd been leaning against earlier. Leo was a little ways away and was already shakily trying to get to his feet.   
  
Reaching Raph’s crumpled form Donnie looked down at his brother relief flooding his system as he found that raph didn’t appear to be to badly injured from the blast that had thrown them; with only a few minor cuts and bruises. Gently shaking Raph's shoulder Donnie spoke. "Raph are you ok?"  
  
Raph responded by groaning and beginning to move. "Yeah, yeah. I'm........OK. What happened?"  
  
Shaking his head Donnie looked up to try and find the source of the explosion. It wasn't hard to find. The building they were currently on was across the street from what looked like a large cellphone tower. Donnie watched as sparks hissed and flew from the metal tower, while flames licked and clawed at its sides. A moment later the large purple letters of the tower's manufacture TCRI sputtered and died as the fire melted the wires supplying them with power. Far below them in the streets they could hear people yelling, in panic.   
  
Helping Raph to his feet Donnie did his best to make sure his red banded brother was ok, before moving to the edge of the building to look down at the street below. People were running in all directions doing their best to get away from the fire. Shifting his attention towards the tower itself Donnie frowned as he found a large white van had stuck the security fence that surrounded the tower, gone through the fence and had stuck one of the large transformer that kept the tower supplied with power.   
  
Again Donnie frowned. he knew enough about security to know that the fence that surrounded the tower could take an extreme amount of force, so for the van to have breached it, would have either have to have been a completely freak accident or deliberate. Focusing his attention on the van itself Donnie did his best to spot a license plate or some other way of identifying where the van had come from. but his frown only grew as he found that not only was there no license plate but the only identifying mark on the van was.......some sort of shield symbol with 3 sharp peaks at the top; spray painted on the back doors of the van.  
  
The flames were spreading now, licking at the side of the van. A few seconds later the blackout windows on the back doors began to crack before exploding from the heat, allowing Donnie to see inside the van. A moment later his eyes went wide with fear as he found that the back of the van was filled with......  
  
"GET DOWN!"  
  
He wasn't just shouting to his brothers behind him, he was shouting to the people who were still in the streets. Throwing himself away from the building edge Donnie felt his chest his the roof as the explosive barrels in the back of the van caught fire and exploded.   
  
The sound was incredible, the horrific sound of twitching and tearing metal filled the air, making Donnie clamp his hands over his ears. A moment later the building they were on top of shuddered as the shock wave from the second explosion slammed into it. Donnie felt the building groan under the pressure wave as the materials compressed to their limit. Would the building be blown away too?  
  
But the building held, groaning as the pressure wave washed over them before relaxing. lifting his head off the ground Donnie turned back to the tower his eyes widening as he found the cell tower was completely gone, with only a large smoking crater where it had been only moments before; with bits of metal debris strewn around the blast site.   
  
Staggering to his feet Donnie lurched towards the edge of the building before looking down into the streets below. Cars had been lifted off the street and hurled against the buildings where they now sat on their sides or completely upside down. But for the most part no one appeared to have been hurt. A few people were staggering to their feet, seeming to be dazed and confused.

Turning back to his brothers Donnie spoke. "This wasn't an accident. That van was packed with chemicals that exploded when the fire reached them. This was deliberate."  
  
Leo nodded slowly. "But why blow up a cellphone tower? What’s to be gained from that?"

Donnie shrugged. “I’m……not sure. Cell towers are set up so if one of them goes out the others can pick up the slack. I……..I suppose if enough of them were destroyed it could strain the network and disable point to point communications for a time. But line communications would still be functioning. And New York has the most Pay-phones of any state. In the……”

But Donnie’s voice trailed off as the sound of approaching sirens reached their ears. After a moment Leo spoke. “Come on. This place is gunna be crawling with cops soon. We need to get underground before they arrive and start looking around.”

Nodding Donnie followed his brothers running and leaping from building to building. All to soon the 3 found themselves at the manhole cover they had emerged from only a few hours before.

Pulling back the heavy metal cover Donnie watched as Leo and Raph dropped down into the tunnel below. Moving to drop down after them, Donnie froze as he looked up at the nighttime sky. High above him billions of stars shown down at him. It was…….beautiful; possibly the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Lowering himself into the tunnel Donnie reached up, pulling the metal lid over the tunnel cutting off his view of the starry night sky. Following his brother’s through the maze of tunnels Donnie remained silent as they slowly made their way back home.

He could not help but wrinkle his nose each time he inhaled. Above ground the air was clean and fresh. Each breath filled him with energy. It even felt fresh helping to cool him as he had run and leapt from rooftop to rooftop. But now that he was back underground he could not help but long for the air of the surface. Down here in the sewers the air was thick and stale from lack of airflow. As a result the air was thick with a foul smell that made his eyes water as he did his best to follow his brother’s through the tunnels leading back home.

In front of him Leo and Raph seemed to be having the same problem as he was. Every so often Leo would hunch over, gripping the wall as he gagged on the horrid scent that was doing its best to smother him. Even Raph wasn't immune to the effects, as they walked Donnie noted that Raph's breathing appearing to have become labored and heavy. As though his body was having trouble adjusting to the damp stale air that surrounded them.

As the wall swung back revealing the secret entrance to the lair a new smell hit their noses. Instantly they reacted. Leo’s hands went to the hilts of his swords while Raph growled and Donnie’s eyes widened as the scent of blood washed over them.

They moved into the lair as a team, each of them helping to cover the other in case of a surprise attack.

“MASTER SPLINTER? MIKEY?”

All three of them strained their ears, doing their best to hear what if any response their call would get.

“We are in the lab my sons. But please, be quite.”

All three of them relaxed slightly but remained aware as they slowly moved towards Donnie’s lab. The smell of blood was stronger here. Pushing the door to the lab open their eyes widened at the scene that met them. Inside the lab sat master splinter who had his back against one of the walls. Next to him Mikey was curled up, his head resting in splinter’s lap as he slept. But what drew their attention immediately was the bandage that was wrapped around Mikey’s hand and the large dried pool of blood that had stained the floor.

It was Donnie who spoke first, his voice shaking as he looked at the pool of dried blood. “M…M….Master Splinter……what happened?”

Splinter sighed softly, reaching out to stroke Mikey’s head and shoulder. “Michelangelo had a small accident while cleaning one of Raphael’s sais. I believe he tried it clean it up but ended up spilling the bucket and making the mess worse……and then……….he had an……episode.”

All if their eyes widened, but it was Raph who spoke first. “But…….but he hasn’t had an episode in almost a year. He was doing fine…..hell he was doing great.”

Splinter nodded sadly. “Yes. But I believe that being forced to stay down here while the rest of you went to the surface coupled with exhaustion helped to trigger this. As far as Michelangelo has come in the last 4 years he is still deeply upset about his situation and uncertain about his roll in this family.”

Leo spoke next, “Then……what should we do?”

Again splinter sighed. “For now we’ll let him sleep. I fear his body has reached its limit of what it can handle. He will need time to recover. Then and only then can we deal with the larger issue at hand.”

All three of them nodded. After a moment splinter looked to Leo. “Leonardo would you please carry Mikey to his room and put him to bed?”

Nodding Leo stepped forward before kneeling down in front of splinter who began to slowly move Mikey, passing him to Leo who gripped him as gently but firmly as he could. Turning Mikey’s body so he could carry him like a bride before slowly standing up, Leo caught sight of the upset looks on his brothers’ faces.

Guilt covered Raph's face, obviously he was upset that it had been his weapon that Mikey had injured himself with. Donnie’s face was covered with guilt as well but Leo could also see faint traces of despair reflected in Donnie’s features.

It was no secret that Donnie still felt guilty about the events that had led to Mikey’s injury. For the next 2 years Donnie had devoted himself to trying to find a way to fix the damage he had done. Sadly his efforts bore fruit that was out of his reach. He’d discovered a number of surgeries both major and minor that could have helped Mikey, and in some cases completely fixed his damaged leg. Alas every surgery was to complex even for his keen mind, and required not only numerous tools which he didn’t have, but also clean environments and dozens of skilled doctors and nurses.

“Mmmmm.”

The sound pulled Leo back to reality as he felt Mikey shift slightly in his arms. Walking as slowly as he could Leo left Donnie lab and slowly moved towards Mikey’s bedroom. 2 years ago splinter had given them each their own bedrooms. It had taken some time to get use to, but in the end it had been for the best. It meant that he didn’t have to worry about Raph making a mess, and Donnie was free to stay up as late as he wanted and not worry about keeping Mikey awake.

Pushing open the door to Mikey's room Leo paused as he looked around. It wasn’t often that he went into Mikey’s room. The youngest turtle was more than willing to help his brothers in anyway he could but the one rule he had was he didn’t want people to go into his room.

So now, to be standing here in Mikey’s room Leo took the opportunity to look around. The first thing he noticed were the posters. Some of them depicted characters from animes or cartoons that Mikey watched, but many of them seemed to be nature based, with picture of fields, waterfalls, forests and cities depicted in them. In fact as Leo stepped into Mikey’s room he noticed that he could hardly see any parts of the walls because Mikey had covered them so completely with posters.

As he stood there holding Mikey in his arms Leo felt has throat tighten slightly. Had Mikey papered his wall like this so perhaps…….he would feel like he was trapped? Doing his best to ignore that horrible though Leo moved, walking towards Mikey’s bed before shifting slightly so he could pull back the heavy worn blankets and lay Mikey under them before covering his body back up and turning to leave.

“Leo?”

He froze at the sound of Mikey’s voice. He’d done his best to be careful. Sighing to himelf Leo turned to look at his youngest brother. Mikey’s eyes were completely glazed over with exhaustion as he looked up at Leo.

“You’re……back?”

Leo nodded, moving so he could kneel down next to Mikey’s bed. “Yeah. We’re back. Go back to sleep Mikey. Ok?”

Slowly Mikey blinked at him, while his brain struggled to understand what Leo had said. After a moment Mikey spoke again. “Can……ask you…..something?”

Leo nodded. He could tell Mikey’s strength was fading fast. even as he knelt there next to him Leo watched as Mikey’s eyes drifted closed and his body seemed to relax. “What……was the…….sky……like?”

A moment later Mikey let out a gentle snore as sleep took him once more. Yet Leo remained where he was, kneeling next to Mikey’s bed as though he was frozen In place.

In truth he was frozen. Mikey’s question……..it was……..

Leo did his best to push down the feelings of despair and sadness that were welling up in his stomach like a cold stone, clawing and numbing his insides. He bit his lip, doing his best to block the image of the night sky filled with so many millions of stars, from his mind. it had been so peaceful, so serine and calming.....   
  
Would Mikey EVER see that sky? Would he ever know what it was like to breathe in clean fresh air and not the dank, thick, stale air of the sewers? Or would he remain down here for the rest of his life?

He forced himself to breath, to take several deep breaths before he slowly got to his feet. Taking another deep breath he forced himself to move, to turn on his heel and leave Mikey’s room before closing the door behind him.

He’d barely gone 5 feet before the tears started to well up in his eyes.

 

 

** DONNIE’S AND RAPH’S POV **

They both watched as Leo slowly carried Mikey out of the lab and to his room. As Leo vanished from sight they turned back to splinter, watching as the aged rat struggled to get to his feet. After a few moments Raph moved, kneeling down next to his father before offering him a hand for support. Across from him Donnie did the same and with a little bit of effort they were able to help their father to his feet.

After a moment Donnie let go, moving to pick up master splinter’s walking stick before offering it to him. As splinter gripped the walking stick he spoke. “My sons. I must ask you to do something. Not for me but for Michelangelo’s sake; please do not discuss your patrols around him. I fear……..I fear it would drive him to do something…….rash.”

Donnie felt his eyes widen. “You think he’d…….”

But his words trailed off at the look master splinter gave him. After a few moments splinter spoke again. “A true leader admits when he is afraid. And I admit to you both here and now……that I fear for Michelangelo’s safety. I fear that he will come to resent this place. I fear that someday he will see me not as his father but…..as his warden, keeping him here in what he thinks of as a prison.”  
  
But Raph shook his head. “Mikey would never think that splinter. He knows you want to keep him safe.”

Splinter sighed. “And what happens when he no longer wants to be safe but instead wants to be free?”

Neither of them responded to splinter’s question. After a few seconds splinter sighed again. “I’m tired. Goodnight my sons. We shall talk more tomorrow.”

Stepping out of splinter’s way both Raph and Donnie watched as splinter slowly left the lab. Biting his lip Donnie looked at Raph who looked back at him. After several silent moments Donnie spoke. “I……I should finish cleaning this up.” as he spoke he indicated the dried puddle of blood that they were standing near.

“Raph nodded in agreement. “Yeah…….I’ll help.”

Smiling thankfully Donnie picked up the bucket Mikey had spilled before filling it with water and setting it back down on the floor. Getting to his knees Donnie smiled again as Raph handed him a scrub brush before joining him on the floor.

They worked in silence, not because they didn’t want to talk but because they were unsure of what to say to the other. There was nothing they could say. Soon Leo joined them. Their leader seemed to know what had been said by the looks they both gave him. Without a word he too got to his knees and began to scrub at the floor.

Slowly the floor began to change, the large red stain disappearing as they continued to scrub at it, before completely vanishing.

Yawning loudly Raph spoke. “Well………it’s late. Goodnight.”

Leo nodded in agreement. “Goodnight Raph.” He turned to look at Donnie. “Goodnight Donnie.”

Donnie smiled weakly and nodded. “Goodnight.”

He watched as they both dropped the brushes they had been using in the sink before slowly leaving his lab, offering each other a faint smile before going their separate ways and vanishing into their rooms.

Sighing Donnie busied himself with the bucket and rust colored water; dumping it into the ink and watching as the water swirled and drained away. When all the water was gone he set the bucket in the sink and moved to leave the lab, closing the door behind him before moving to his room and his bed.

He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

 

 

** THE NEXT DAY **

Yawning Donnie slowly sat up, the blankets falling to the mattress as he slowly got to his feet, yawning again as he did so. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Donnie glanced at the alarm clock he kept on his nightstand; finding that it was blinking……

Donnie frowned. According to his clock it was 9:57am.

Normally he and his brother’s got up at 6am, so they could begin their training with splinter while Mikey made breakfast. Why hadn’t anyone woken him up?

Opening the door to his room Donnie stepped out, moving towards the kitchen where Mikey had normally already prepared breakfast. but the smell of toast and eggs was absent as he stepped out of the hallway and into the living room. on the couch Raphael was lounging with his music, his hands playing imaginary drums in time with whatever song he was playing. in front of the couch Leo was sitting on the floor watching an episode of space invaders.   
  
"Good Morning."  
  
Both his brother's looked up at the sound of his voice. "Morning."  
  
Moving into the kitchen Donnie spoke. "Why didn't anyone wake me? I missed morning training."  
  
Leo shook his head. "There isn't any training today. Splinter said he's to tired. He........he looked exhausted."  
  
Donnie sighed softly as he dropped some bread into the toaster. it was a kind of unspoken understanding between all of them. they knew Master Splinter was getting older. The wise old rat was slowing down. Donnie could not help but remember how Splinter's legs had shook last night as they had helped him to his feet; or how tightly he'd clutched to his walking stick, as though if he were to let go he would fall. When they had been children they had known that Splinter was older, but now that they were 18, they had come to realize just how old and frail their father was.   
  
After a few moments of silence Donnie spoke again. "What about Mikey? Is he awake?"  
  
This time it was Raph who shook his head. "No. He's sleeping too. And I think we should let him stay that way for now."  
  
something in Raph's tone made Donnie raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"  
  
Raph sighed and switched off his music before pulling his headphone off and hanging them around his neck. "Have you guys looked at him lately? Like looked _closely_? I went in there a while ago to see if he was awake and if he wanted anything to eat. He looks like he's not sleeping well. And his skin is so pale......I don't think he's eating very well either."  
  
Donnie sighed again, reaching out to pick up and begin preparing his toast. as he moved to spread button on the heated bread Leo spoke. "This cant go on. If Mikey has an episode every time we go on patrol.......how long will it be until it's not an accident that he hurt himself?"  
  
Leo's question hung in the air for several seconds as they all thought about it.   
  
"Do you really think Mikey would hurt himself on purpose?" Raph's voice was filled with a kind of fear they rarely heard from him.   
  
Leo sighed and shrugged. "I don't know......maybe?"  
  
More silence followed Leo's response. As Donnie finished spreading the button on his toast Raph spoke. "We have to figure something out soon. we go on patrol again tomorrow night. Should.......should one of us stay here to keep an eye on him?"  
  
Leo shook his head. "No. As a 3 man team we're already at a disadvantage. If only two of us go out at a time then we'd risk being underpowered if we came up against something big. Plus........"  
  
Leo's words trailed off as a look of guilt flashed across his face. Donnie nodded, biting his lip as he did so. Raph's thought had also brought up an unwanted truth. If one of them was to stay behind they would have to figure out a way to decide who it was that would stay. and even if they went a in a cycle, alternating between the tree of them they were left with a single undeniable fact; none of them WANTED to remain underground while the others went on patrol.   
  
They had spent so much time training and preparing.......  
To be asked to stay behind while others went to the surface........  
  
After several moments of awkward silence Raph spoke. "Why don't we ask Leatherhead to help? He's always able to help Mikey when he gets upset. we could ask him to come and stay with Mikey while we're away. Hell I bet Leatherhead would even have a few things that Mikey to do to help keep his mind busy."  
  
Donnie nodded. It was true, Leatherhead had a bazaar ability to cheer Mikey up, whenever he was upset or sad. In truth this connection was slightly upsetting to Donnie. He was used to being the one Mikey went to when he was upset or sad, and yet Leatherhead was able to help Mikey in ways that he, Donnie couldn't.   
  
Sighing again Donnie nodded. "OK. I'll call him after I'm done eating and see if he can help."  
  
He watched as Leo and Raph nodded in agreement before turning back to what they had been doing before. Biting into the golden buttery toast Donnie did his best to push down the feelings of uncertainty and jealousy that had welled up in his gut. it was true Mikey needed help. but the idea of that help coming from someone else and not him.......  
  
He could not help but be jealous of the connection Leatherhead seemed to have with Mikey. Donnie knew that he and Mikey would always be close. but Mikey was also close with leatherhead; and theirs was a kind of closeness that was VERY different to the closeness Donnie shared with him. Donnie had no doubt that Mikey said and told Leatherhead things that he would never say to anyone else and that........that hurt slightly.   
  
It hurt Donnie to know that there was someone else who perhaps Mikey trusted just a little bit more with his secrets.   
  
shaking his head slightly Donnie took another bite of his toast. no, now was not the time to focus on his own insecurities. Mikey needed help, and if Leatherhead could provide that help then he, Donnie should be willing to suck up his emotions and put them on hold. If Leatherhead could help, then Donnie was willing to do whatever it would take.   
  
Why then did his heart quiver slightly as he imagined Leatherhead and Mikey spending time alone?


	3. UNSEEN protectors

Donnie watched as Mikey ran forward, flinging his arms open and grabbing onto one of Leatherhead’s arms as the large gator stepped through the doorway and into the lair.

“Leatherhead!”

In response the large gator smiled and chuckled; letting out a deep rumbling laugh before speaking in his raspy growling voice. “It is good to see you again little one. I was wondering if you’d like to help me with a few things I need to do?”

Mikey nodded enthusiastically. “YEAH!”

Leatherhead grinned down at Mikey for a moment before looking up and catching Leonardo's eye. The day before, the blue banded turtle had come to him and explained the situation. Now that they were going on patrols of the surface Mikey was beginning to show signs of depression and…..erratic behavior. Easily Leatherhead recalled how Leo had become choked up when he mentioned that Mikey had asked him what the sky had been like.

After over an hour of talking they had come up with a plan. He’d spent the rest of the day setting up things for him and Mikey to do. Throwing garbage around his home for them to pick up, or graffiti for them to scrub and many other ‘chores’; all things to try and help keep Mikey busy.

After a moment Leatherhead looked back down at Mikey, carefully looking him up and down. Over all Mikey looked…….Ok. His skin was paler then his brothers, and when he walked Leatherhead could detect a faint limp in his stride, but for the most part Mikey looked ok. In fact the only real sign of his past injury was the large scar that started at his ankle and trailed upwards before stopping in the middle of his thigh.

After several moments splinter spoke. “Michelangelo, I want you to listen to Leatherhead. Do as he says, and be respectful to him. Understand?”

Mikey nodded. “I know.”

Leatherhead chuckled again. “We’ll be fine. He’s gunna help me clean my home and then cook some dinner.”

As he spoke Leatherhead rubbed the top of Mikey’s head making the young turtle giggle.

Looking back up Leatherhead caught sight of the appreciative look splinter was giving him. Giving splinter a small nod Leatherhead spoke. “Come little one. We have much to do.”

Giving splinter and Mikey’s brother a final smile Leatherhead turned and shuffled out of the lair with Mikey in toe.

As the door swung shut behind the retreating figured splinter spoke. “I thank you Raphael for thinking of this course of action. I pray Leatherhead is able to distract Mikey and keep anything bad from happening to him.”

All 3 of them nodded but it was Raph who spoke. “I hope so too, but if anyone can it’ll be Leatherhead. They just…….have a connection.”

Splinter nodded. It was true the large sewer gator did have a connection with his youngest son. Simply by being around Michelangelo Leatherhead was able to pull the youngest turtle out of whatever bad mood he was in. but this was not without consequences. 2 years ago after a particularly rough time splinter had noted that Donatello became cold and slightly…….brash, when Leatherhead was around Mikey.

Indeed splinter had noticed a rather startling shift in his purple son, noting that Donatello became distracted and had trouble focusing when Leatherhead was around Mikey; as though he were distracted.

Shaking his head splinter pushed those thoughts aside. For now there were much more important things to focus on. Turning to his sons splinter spoke. “Be safe on your patrols tonight my sons.”

All three of them nodded. “We will Sensei.”

Splinter nodded in return. “Then I permit you to go. I shall be here when you return.”

Nodding and bowing the three of them paused only long enough to gather up their gear before leaving the lair and making their way to the surface.

 

 

** MIKEY’S POV **

He followed as closely as he could, thankful that Leatherhead was moving slowly which allowed him to keep up and walk beside the large gator. Turning down a tunnel towards Leatherhead’s home Mikey spoke. “How have you been Leatherhead? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you.”

It was true; it had been almost 2 months since he’d last seen his large gator friend. Glancing sideways Mikey watched as Leatherhead smiled at him before speaking. “I have been good little one. Hunting and gathering supplies for the upcoming winter have kept me busy.”

Mikey nodded slowly. According to the calendar in the lair it was almost October, meaning the air would become colder as winter settled in over the………..surface.

He bit his lip at that thought. Even Leatherhead got to go to the surface as see the world, while he remained stuck underground. Was he ever going to get out of this place? Or was he going to be stuck here forever?

“Little one?”

Blinking Mikey was pulled back to reality, startled to find that he had stopped walking and was instead standing in the middle of the tunnel as though frozen in place. A little ways ahead of him Leatherhead was watching him a look of concern covering his face. Hurrying to Leatherhead’s side Mikey spoke. “Sorry…….”

He wanted to say more, to explain why he had suddenly stopped walking, but he found that his throat had gone painfully dry at the idea of voicing his thoughts. He watched as Leatherhead continued to look at him for a moment before speaking. “Little one………I know about what happened the other night.”

He watched Mikey closely, his eyes widened slightly as Mikey’s reaction was not one of sadness but…..shame. Mikey’s shoulders slumped forward as he hung his head. “Sorry.”

Sighing softly Leatherhead moved towards Mikey stopping just in front of him. “There is no need to be sorry little one. But know this…..” he reached out, touching Mikey’s shoulder reassuringly. “…….your family and I wish to help you. To understand what it is that upset you so greatly.”

Mikey bit his lip. How was he supposed to explain how he felt? How was he supposed to tell his family that he wanted them to stay in the sewers with him and not go to the surface? How was he supposed to ask them to throw away the years of training they had undergone just because he felt……lonely?

“I…….” his voice shook as he tried to speak. He could feel Leatherhead watching him. The large gator’s eyes were concerned but not judgmental as he struggled to put into words how he was feeling. “I just……..I felt………left behind.”

That was the best way to describe it. The best way to put into words the twisting, gnawing, pained feeling that had filled his heart as he’d listened to his brothers run and shout as they headed for the surface.  He felt Leatherhead lean in, to look closer at him.

“Little one…..you will NEVER be left behind. Your family cares for you. I care for you. We will not allow you to be left behind. Do you understand?”

Mikey slowly nodded. “O....ok.”

He watched as Leatherhead continued to look at him. There was something about Leatherhead’s eyes. They shown down at him with concern, caring, love and reassurance without an ounce of judgment or annoyance. He couldn't help but talk to Leatherhead. He simply couldn't keep himself from opening up and talking about how he REALLY felt about things.   
  
After a moment Leatherhead sighed and made up his mind. "Come little one. We’ll go to my home and relax.”  
  
Mikey cocked his head at the large sewer gator. "But i thought you needed help cleaning?"  
  
Leatherhead shook his head. "No. i had hoped to distract you from your feeling but now i see what need to be done. You do not need a distraction. You need a day off."  
  
Mikey continued to look at him. "What d you mean?"  
  
Leatherhead smiled. "Little one you have been working yourself to the bone for how many months now? How often do you get up at the crack of dawn so breakfast will be ready for your brother's when they wake up? How many nights have you stayed up only to collapse from exhaustion?"  
  
Mikey bit his lip, shifting uncomfortably in response to Leatherhead's words. In front of him Leatherhead nodded. "Exactly little one. I believe what you really need is a day to relax and be calm. Ok?"  
  
Again Mikey bit his lip but nodded. "O.....ok.......that sounds......nice."  
  
It was true. A day of just laying around, relaxing sounded VERY nice.   
  
Across from him Leatherhead smiled. "Then let us be on our way."  
  
Smiling back at Leatherhead Mikey nodded and began to once again follow Leatherhead towards his home. "Can......can we watch TV?"  
  
Leatherhead chuckled. "We can do anything you want little one. Anything at all."  
  
Mikey bit his lip. Anything he wanted? In truth he wanted to go to the surface. He wanted to see the sky and hear birds chirping and singing and breathe fresh air. But he knew Leatherhead hadn't meant it like that; so hr kept that desire to himself. "I wanna watch TV."  
  
Again Leatherhead smiled. "Then that is what we shall do."  
  
  
  
 **MEANWHILE**  
  
  
  
Donnie did his best to follow Leo and Raph leaping from rooftop to rooftop as they moved across the city. Far below them humans walked through the streets oblivious to their existence. Pausing for a moment while Leo scanned the area around them for any signs of trouble, Donnie found his attention instead drawn to a large jumbotron billboard that was broadcasting the local news. Showing a side by side picture of two fugitives the police were looking for. “Police are still on the lookout for the terrorists April O’Neil and her accomplice Casey Jones. Both are wanted in connection with several explosions that destroyed or badly damaged property in the downtown area. If you have any information please call….”

Turning from the billboard Donnie scanned the streets below like he was supposed to be doing. A moment later Donnie's eyes widened as he spotted a windowless black van with the same symbols from the night before spray painted on the back doors; driving through the street below them. "GUYS HOLD ON."  
  
Raph and Leo turned to look at him. But it was Raph who spoke first. "What’s up Donnie?"  
  
Donnie shook his head and pointed to the van which had turned onto another street and was now moving away from them in the opposite direction. "That van, it has the same symbol as the one that crashed into and then blew up the cell tower."  
  
Leo’s voice was filled with concern. "You think this one will blow up too?"  
  
Again Donnie shook his head. "I don’t know. But I think to be safe we should follow it.”

  
Raph and Leo nodded and changed direction with Donnie following behind them. They did their best to keep up, struggling to run and lap from building to building and keep the van in sight. A few times they lost it, all 3 of them frantically scanning the streets below until one of them found it again.   
  
Gasping for breath Donnie did his best to keep up with his bigger and stronger brothers. It was times like these that he cursed his slender frame. Yes he may have had an easier time dodging and avoiding attacks but his lack of muscle also meant that he was unable to match the endurance or strength of Leo and Raph.  
  
Mentally Donnie sighed with relief as the van they were following began to slow down, finally coming to a stop. Landing on a rooftop overlooking the scene it took Donnie a full 10 seconds to take in what was happening below them. The van had stopped about 200 feet from a large shipping warehouse. The slight movement told Donnie that people were moving around inside the van.   
  
All three of them crouched on the roof, watching the scene below them as the back doors of the van sprung open and men dressed in baggy pants and hoodies began to get out. But what drew their attention were the masks that covered the men’s faces, simple black face masks spray painted black with the only other color coming from a large purple dragon that decorated the masks they wore.

"Who are they supposed to be?"  
  
Donnie shrugged at Raphael's question and watched as one of the people from the van spoke. "Ok. You all know what to do. Boss wants this place leveled to dust. Got it?"  
  
Everyone wearing masks nodded and began to move, scurrying towards the warehouse and away from the brother's who looked at each other. "Should we stop them?"  
  
Donnie's question was directed at Leo who shook his head slowly. "No....we're too exposed here. All it takes is for one of them to get a good shot with a camera or a cellphone and we'd be screwed. Let’s follow them and wait and see what they do. Come one."  
  
Moving in to follow Leo, Donnie and Raph followed their leader; dropping down from the rooftop they were on before scurrying along the shadows to ensure they would not be seen. They watched as the men from the van paused for a few moments as one of them pulled out a crowbar and began to tug and twist at the door that led into the warehouse.   
  
Turning from the group of masked people breaking into the warehouse Donnie instead followed Raphael who followed Leo, scurrying up a ladder and onto the roof of the warehouse just as the sound of the simple metal door giving way reached their ears. Hunkering down low to the roof Donnie, Raph and Leo did their best to remain in the shadows as they moved towards one of the large skylights that dotted the roof of the warehouse. Peering into the warehouse below they watched as the invaders entered the warehouse and turned towards one of the guys carrying a backpack; obviously the leader.  
  
"What are they-"  
  
But Raphael fell silent as the leader of the criminals; a large man with a blonde pony tail shrugged off his backpack and dug into it for a moment before pulling out......  
  
Donnie's eyes widened in horror as he watched the leader produced several large bricks of C4 from his backpack before turning to address the others around him. From their spot on the outside of warehouse it was difficult to understand what the leader was saying; but Donnie could figure it out easily enough. It was made even easier as the leader pulled out several detonators and began to hand out the bricks and detonators to the other people in the warehouse.   
  
"Th…..they're gunna blow the place up." Donnie’s voice shook as he began to run through the calculation in his head. There were 4 bricks of C4 each of them weighing probably 1.5pounds. Which meant they would produce a blast force of……  Donnie’s eyes widened in horror as he finished the math in his head. When he spoke next his voice was slightly panicked. “WITH THAT MUCH C4 THEY’LL TAKE OUT MORE THAN JUST THIS BUILDING. THEY’LL TAKE OUT EVERYTHING IN A 700 FOOT RADUS OF THE BUILDING!”

Across from them Leo spoke. "We have to stop them."  
  
Nodding in agreement Donnie began to run his fingers along the edge of the skylight looking for the latched that would allow them to open the window and get into the warehouse, doing his best to keep his hands from shaking as he did so. Finding what he was looking for Donnie moved, lifting the panel of glass up and out of its frame before setting it down on the rooftop and following his brothers as they dropped down into the warehouse.   
  
  
Landing on a large shelf of crates below beneath the skylight, Donnie could not help but feel a sense of déjà-vu as he recalled the time he and Raph had broken into the medical warehouse to steal supplies for Mikey almost 4 years ago. Sticking to the shadows the brothers watched as the group of masked invaders began to split up, moving towards the various corners of the warehouse. After a moment Leo began to signal using his fingers, communicating silently what he wanted Raph and Donnie to do. __  
  
Donnie you follow that group, Raph you go with that one, I’ll go with this one. Then we'll all sweep around and go after the last on. Got it?  
  
Nodding but not speaking the brothers split up each of them following the group Leo had assigned them.   
  
doing his best to be as silent as possible Donnie crept along, making sure to keep the group of thugs he was following in sight at all times. moving through the shadows he watched as the group moved towards one of the large metal gurters that ran from the floor to the ceiling and helped to support the roof above them. after a moment one of the thugs spoke. "this place is creepy."  
  
another thug laughed. "Awww, are you a little pussy Jason?"  
  
a moment later another one of the criminals whispered in a harsh voice. "SHUT IT. lets just pant the shit and get out of he-"  
  
Donnie's heart clenched in shock and fear as off in the distance there was a loud crashing sound. Were Leo or Raph in trouble? biting his lip Donnie remained silent, doing his best to make himself as small as possible so the criminals would not see him as they spun around and began to search for the sound of the noise. Donnie held his breath as the group of criminals looked directly at the shadow he was hiding in.   
  
For a moment his heart clenched even tighter and his hand slowly crept towards his staff as one of the thugs frowned and continued to look in his direction.   
  
Readying himself to for a fight Donnie's eyes widened as a gruff voice echoed through the warehouse. "sorry.....I knocked over a crate."  
  
To anyone else it might have sounded like one of the thugs had responded, but Donnie knew better. almost instantly he'd recognized the voice as his brother Raph. after a moment another angry voice responded from the other side of the warehouse. "i swear to god Simon if you get us caught I will bash your head in with a shovel!"  
  
letting out a sight of relief Donnie watched as the group he was following turned back to what they were doing, kneeling down as they readied the brick of C4 they had been giving.   
  
rushing out of the shadow Donnie moved as fast as he could. his hand clamped down on one of the criminal's mouth while his other hand slammed into the back of his head making his body jerk before going limp as he fell unconscious. letting the thug drop to the ground. Donnie swung low, sweeping the legs out from under another thug before punching the thug hard in the face before he had time to cry out, knocking him out too. with the final thug completely unaware of his presence Donnie rushed forward, his hand going to cover the criminal's mouth while his arm snaked around the thug's neck putting him into a choke hold.   
  
Donnie grunted as he struggled against the thug who began flailing and trying to shout. tightening his arm around the thug's neck Donnie could already feel the thugs movements becoming slower and slower as the lack of oxygen to his brain began to take effect. soon the thug was barely moving his hands sort of lazily slapping Donnie's arm as he continued to struggle for a few more seconds before going limp. letting the thug go Donnie turned his attention to the brick of C4 which had fallen to the ground during his and the thug's struggle.   
  
he let out a small sigh of relief as he found that the brick was unset and in no danger of exploding. picking it up Donnie stuffed it into his bag before taking off in the direction that Leo had instructed them to go so they could deal with the final group.   
  
putting his back to the wall Donnie glanced around a crate finding that the group he was looking for was about where he had expected them to be. taking a moment to scan the situation Donnie grinned slightly as he spotted Leo onto of one of the shelves above the group while to the group's right Raph was hiding in the shadows.   
  
clicking his tongue softly Donnie nodded as his brothers turned and spotted him. He watched as Leo nodded in response as held up three fingers. instantly understanding the plan Donnie readied himself, watching as Leo lowered one finger and then another. the moment Leo lowered the last finger Donnie moved, rushing out of his hiding spot and running towards the group of thugs aiming for the one who was hunched over the brick of C4.   
  
He watched as Leo dropped down from his spot on the shelves, landing one the right thug's shoulder and sending him crashing to the ground with a loud bang. the thug on the left looked over, turning his back to Raph who lunged, slamming his shoulder into the thug's back and sending him staggering forward off balance. a moment later Leo lashed out, slamming his fist into the thug's face and lifting him off the ground with the force of the punch before dropping him to the ground. the final thug moved, spinning around to see what had caused all the commotion behind him.  
  
Lunging forward Donnie grabbed the thug by the face and shoved him back, slamming the back of the thug's head against the metal gurter behind him, making a loud 'gong sound echo through the warehouse. letting go of the thug Donnie watched as he slumped to the ground unconscious.   
  
kneeling down to secure the brick of explosives Donnie nodded and shoved the brick into his back along with the with one he'd gotten before. standing back up Donnie nodded to his brother's who nodded in response. "good job guys."  
  
Leo smiled and handed Donnie the brick of C4 from his group, which went into Donnie's back. frowning Donnie watched as Raph stepped forward a small trickle of blood coming from a cut that had appeared on Raph's right shoulder. Taking the brick of C4 from Raph Donnie spoke. "Raph, what happened?"  
  
Raph grunted and shrugged an action that made his face flicker slightly with pain. "One of my guys was harder to knock out that the other. I had to put his face through a crate to get him to stay down. That was the crashing sound earlier."

Leo opened his mouth to say something, probably to rebuke Raph's action when the sound of the warehouse’s front door opening met their ears. A moment later they could hear voices. “FAN OUT! FIND OUT WHAT TRIPPED THE ALARM!”

They faded into the shadows, doing their best to remain unseen as they clambered up the large shelves that filled the warehouse, watching as men clad in security uniforms poured into the warehouse.

“Come on, we need to get out of here.”

Nodding in agreement with Leo’s statement Donnie fell in line behind Raph as they moved back to the skylight they had used to enter the warehouse.

Luckily the tops of the shelves were only a few feet away from the sky light, so all they had to do was jump and then pull themselves up and out of the warehouse and on to the roof. As Donnie waited his turn he watched as Raph grunted his face contorting in slight pain as he was forced to use his injured shoulder. In the back of his mind Donnie made a note to help Raph clean and dress the wound once they were safely away from the warehouse they were in.

Soon enough he joined his brothers back on the rooftop. Replacing the pane of glass he had removed Donnie followed Leo and Raph as they leapt to a nearby rooftop before putting as much distance between them and the warehouse which was now crawling with security.

 

 

** LATHERHEAD’S POV **

Leatherhead watched Mikey carefully. They had been here for hours, watching TV or just chatting. And while the relaxation seemed to be helping Mikey Leatherhead could tell that there was still something bothering the young turtle. Reaching out Leatherhead muted the TV before speaking. “Little one…..what troubles you?”

He watched as Mikey sighed softly. “I…….” he could see it. The pain, uncertainty and fear in Mikey’s young face. After several moments of silence Mikey spoke again. “Will I…….ever go to the surface? Splinter says I need to stay down here for my protection but……”

Mikey’s voice trailed off; as it did so Leatherhead sighed. In many ways he respected splinter. The wise and aging rat had certainly earned his respect raising his sons, teaching them to fight and defend themselves, while keeping them a secret from the outside world. And yet as much as he respected splinter he could not help but completely disagree with several of the old rat’s thoughts.

Biting his lip leatherhead voiced the thoughts he’d been mulling around in his head for weeks, ever since splinter had told him the turtles would be beginning their patrols of the surface.

“Little one……what if……..what if I were…..to take you to the surface?”


	4. UNSEEN affections

Coming to a stop Donnie glanced back at the warehouse he and his brothers had come from. Off in the distance he could make out the flashing lights of police cars as they surrounded the building. But he had more important things to worry about then how closely they had come to getting caught. Moving towards Raph, Donnie lightly touched his tougher brother’s shoulders, turning Raph so he could examine the injury.

“I’m gunna go look around. Make sure no one followed us.”

Nodding at Leo’s statement Donnie turned as watched as his blue banded brother dropped off the roof and out of sight.

“How’s it look doc?”

Turning his attention back to Raph's injury Donnie shrugged. “Not too bad. It’ll need to be cleaned and bandaged but it won’t leave a scar or anything.”

Raphael let out a mock whine. “Awww, but I wanted to have a kick ass scar right there.”

Rolling his eyes Donnie moved, guiding Raphael towards the back of a large billboard. Watching as Raphael sat down Donnie moved in, opening his bag as Raph leaned against the billboard. “Does it hurt?”

Raph shook his head. “Not really. It just kind of…….stings.”

Nodding Donnie found what he was looking for, pulling out the small bottle of antiseptic and bandages. Tearing off a small strip of bandage Donnie soaked the cloth in the antiseptic medicine before turning back to his brother. “This might burn a bit.”

The moment the soaked cloth touched Raph's injury the red turtle’s muscles tensed in pain. Donnie bit his lip, he could tell what he was doing was painful to Raphael but it needed to be done. After a moment Raph spoke. “MIGHT burn? Understatement of the year Donnie.”

Offing her brother a weak smile Donnie did his best to clean the injury as best he could. The cut was still bleeding but it was already starting to clot, a sign that it was not hiding anything more serious. Once he’d finished cleaning the wound Donnie dropped the now partially blood soaked scrap of cloth to the ground before picking up the roll of bandages and setting to work wrapping Raph's shoulder in the sterile cloth.

As he worked he had Raph occasionally move, lifting his arm and bending it slightly so he could wrap it securely in place.

“Almost done O….” Donnie’s voice trailed off as he looked up, his eyes connecting with Raph’s. Raphael was watching him, his green eyes staring at him in a way that Donnie had never seen before. Biting his lip he tried to focus on his work as he continued to bandage Raph's shoulder. Yet try as he might he could not help glance back up his eyes connecting with Raph's perfect green eyes again.

“Everything ok Donnie?”

He nodded, perhaps a bit more enthusiastically then was needed. “Y…y…yeah. Everything is…..f…..fine.”

He felt his face heat up. Why was he stuttering? Of course Raph was watching him, he wanted to be sure Donnie wrapped his shoulder properly and didn’t screw it up. Yet he could not shake the feeling of Raphael’s gaze; of those perfect green orbs looking at him, watching him……

As he moved to cut the end of the bandages from the roll Donnie bit his lip as he found his hand was shaking slightly. shaking his head slightly he did his best to finish, snipping the end of the bandages before tucking the loose end so it would not come loose when they resumed their patrol. “Th….there.”

Returning his supplies to his bag Donnie felt his face darken as a blush spread across it, he could still feel Raph's gaze on him; still watching….

“Donnie….” Against his will a shudder ran up Donnie’s spin. Something in Raph's voice was different; there was some underlying tone in it that he’d never heard before. He felt one of Raph's hands touch his wrist, Raph's strong finger’s wrapping around it. “…look at me.”

He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he shook his head. In response Raph let out a low growl. A moment later Donnie whimpered slightly as he felt Raph move, Raph's free hand coming against his chest before pushing him back until his shell hit the back of the billboard behind him. “Look at me…..”

The tone had become stronger now. It was a deep kind of sultry growl that made Donnie’s spine tingle. Biting his lip he did as Raph told him, slowly looking up at his brother.

A moment later their lips met. His body reacted without him telling it to, his mouth opening to allow Raphael tongue entrance into his body. He groaned, whimpering into the kiss as he felt Raph's entire body move, pressing against his, pinning him between Raph's body and the billboard; making it impossible for him to escape, not that he would have wanted too.

He felt Raph press in, his tongue invading Donnie’s mouth enticing another whimper from the young turtle. Another shiver ran up his spine as he felt Raph's tongue touch the roof of his mouth, running along it before running downward to brush against Donnie’s tongue.

Again his body moved on its own, pressing up and against Raph's body. The feeling of their chests rubbing together enough to make his eyes drift close in a moment of bliss as his hands scrambled to grip th edge of rap’s shell and pull him in closer.

A fraction of a second later Raph broke the kiss. Donnie’s eyes flew open as a whimper of want came from his still open mouth. Above him Raph was grinning at him, a kind of devilishly cruel grin that sent another shudder up Donnie’s spin. “Hehehe, the doc wants to play doctor.”

Donnie felt his face flush a darker shade of red as his blush deepened. But he had no time to respond before he felt Raph move in again, his tongue leaving his mouth to lap against Donnie’s neck. He moaned at the feeling, shuddering as Raph's tongue brush against his skin, leaving a wet yet somehow hot trail in its wake. “R….r….r….raph…..”

Raph growled in response. “Yeah…..say my name.” he pressed in leaving another wet and hot trail, making Donnie shudder almost painfully in response.

He could feel it now. The faint tingling burning itching feelings that flickered and flitted across his skin like a bug. It wasn't the first time he’d felt these feelings. There had been time when he’d wake in the middle fo the night, his entire body covered in this feeling of need and want.

He groaned, whimpering needfully as Raph's pressed in, once again pinning Donnie between himself and the billboard behind him. He bit his lip as he felt Raph's free hand begin to move, slowly trailing down his chest, tracing the patterns in his plates and plastron.

“R….R…..Raph…….”

But Raph silenced him with another kiss, his tongue flicking out to run against Donnie’s lip before invading his mouth aggressively making Donnie whimper and moan. It felt SOOOOO good.

As Raph pulled away he shifted, his fre hand trailing a little lower, moving to rub Donnie’s stomach enticing a small whimper from the younger turtle. “R….raph……I feel……”

But Raph leaned in, nuzzling Donnie’s neck as his tongue came out to gently lap against the younger turtle’s skin. “shhhhhh, it’s ok Donnie. just let it happen. Just relax and enjoy it.”

He felt Donnie’s arms move, leaving his shell to wrap around his neck and pull him in closer. “B….b….but…..”

Again he nuzzled Donnie’s neck, making Donnie moan softly. Biting his lip Raph moved a little slower. In the heat of the moments he’d forgotten, this was Donnie’s first time doing something like this. He was probably scared, confused and obviously turned on.

Tilting his head Raph kissed Donnie’s jawline, slowly planting kisses and licks until he reached Donnie’s perfect lips again before claiming them with his own. Earning himself another moan from Donnie. as they kissed his hand shifted, slowly rubbing down and across Donnie’s stomach and abs before…..

“AAAHHHHHHH.”

Donnie’s broke the kiss, his head tilting back automatically as Raph's fingers brushed against his swollen pouch. “R….R…….RAPH!”

He felt Donnie’s legs move, crossing together, pinning his hand against Donnie’s pouch, making Raph smile. He leaned in, kissing and licking Donnie’s jaw, soothing his brother as he spoke. “It’s ok Donnie……just breathe. How do you feel?”

Donnie’s response was to let out a pained yet needful whimper. “I……I…….I…….AHHHHH!”  


Donnie’s head tilted back further as Raph began to gently move his hand, rubbing his palm against Donnie’s pouch. He pressed in, grinding the flat of his palm against the pouch that held Donnie’s aroused organ all the while kisses and nuzzling his younger brother. “shhhhhh, shhhhhh. It’s ok Don-”

But he found himself cut off as Donnie kissed him. He groaned, pushing in against his brother’s body, enjoying the moan that Donnie let out as their tongue danced and rubbed together for several moments before they broke apart.

Pulling back Raph inhaled a lungful of the musky scent his brother was letting off, enjoying the chorus of needful whimper and moans that came from Donnie. Taking a deep breath Raph did his best to calm himself. He was so turned on right now it was almost painful. He could feel his organ straining against his own pouch, desperate for release. But he needed to slow down. This wasn't about him, it was about Donnie and making sure that he felt safe and secure.

“Donnie…..” he could not help but smile at the whimper he got in response. “Donnie, are you ok?”

Donnie nodded frantically. “Y……Y…..YESSSSS.”

Biting his lip Raph continued. “Do you want to keep going?”

He watched as Donnie bit his lip as the younger turtle struggled to contain his arousal. “Ple……please……….more…….”

Nodding Raph pressed in, nuzzling Donnie’s neck as he shifted both their bodies; planting his shell against the back of the billboard before maneuvering Donnie so his shell was pressed against Raph's chest. Wrapping his arm across Donnie’s chest, Raph smiled and nuzzled in closer as he felt Donnie’s hands reach up and grip his arm tightly.

Slowly Donnie’s head turned to look at him before leaning in so they could kiss again while Raph's free hand lifted up so he could run a single finger along the slit to Donnie’s pouch. Instantly Donnie broke the kiss his eyes drifting closed as he let out a low whimper. “R….r…..raph…….”

Repeating the movement Raph grinned as he felt a faint shudder roll up Donnie’s spine, while Donnie’s grip on his arm became tighter. He fell into a kind of rhythm, slowly running his finger up and down Donnie’s slit making the younger turtle gasp and moan while his body shuddered and shook. Beads of sweat had formed on Donnie’s skin and Raph could tell the younger turtle was biting his lip.

Leaning in Raph nuzzled and kissed the sides of Donnie’s neck. Increasing the pressure against Donnie’s slit Raph smiled as Donnie let out his loudest moan yet, a sign of what was about to happen. All at once Donnie’s skin writhed and shook, as Donnie’s head snapped back and loud moan echoing off into the cool night air as his pouch retracted, finally releasing his pent up organ into Raph's waiting him.

Pressing in, Raph forced Donnie’s moan to end as their lips met into another kiss. Their tongues danced and ground together as Raph gently squeezed and massaged Donnie’s organ. Donnie’s back arched against Raph's chest, his head rolling back to rest against Raph's uninjured shoulder as he struggled to breath.

He’d never felt this way before. yes he’d had the tingling, flitting, flickering feeling before, but never before had he felt like this. It felt like every nerve in his body was tingling, and they all wanted the same thing. Donnie bit his lip, whimper as he tried to move his hips to get Raphael to move the hand that now held his organ.

He groaned, shuddering as he felt Raph's breath against the side of his face. “Not yet.”

Opening his mouth to speak, Donnie’s words died in his throat and instead became a whimper as his older brother moved, biting the end of Donnie’s purple bandana before spinning it sideways covering Donnie’s eyes and cutting off his view of the world. He whimpered again, finding the sudden loss of his sight to be alarming. Behind him Raph gave him a gentle squeeze, leaning in to nuzzle and lick at his neck. “shhhhhh. Shhhhhhhh. It’s ok Donnie. don't worry. I know you’ll love this next part.”

Biting his lip Donnie did his best to remain calm. It wasn't that he felt unsafe being like this…….but the idea that someone……anyone could possibly see him like this……

Raph grinned as Donnie let out a needy moan, while his organ throbbed angrily at the lack of attention. Giving Donnie’s flesh a gentle squeeze Raph’s grin widened as Donnie let out a whimpering pleading moan. “R…r…..r….Raph………p…..please…….”

Slowly he began to move, running his fingers up and down Donnie’s engorged length, enjoying the gasps and moans he got in response. He buried his nose against Donnie’s neck, inhaling a lungful of the sweaty musky scent that was rolling off of Donnie’s flesh.

In the back of his mind he could not help but compare Donnie’s scent to Leo’s. both were musky and sweaty, but Donnie’s had a kind of…….sweetness to it. as though there was a small amount of sugar mixed in with it. he felt Donnie’s shift, his grip on Raph's arm tightening as his head tilted back and he let out another whimpering moan.

It felt so good. Nothing he’d ever done before in his life had ever felt this good. Donnie shuddered, whimper and squirmed, his legs spreading wider on their own so as to allow Raph's hands to his entire needy length; which Raph did making Donnie moan and pant. He groaned, shuddering and gasping as he felt Raph lean in and lick the side of his neck, sending waves of pleasure coursing through his body. “R…R….Raph!”

He heard Raph chuckle. “It’s not even at the best part yet egghead. Just wait a few more minutes.”

He couldn't respond, his voice refused to work as he felt Raph's tongue return to his neck once more. His back arched on its own as he pressed the back of his head against Raph's shoulder as another moan escaped his mouth. It felt like every nerve in his body was on fire, and screaming at him. He panted, whimpered, moaned and gasped as Raph continued his ministrations, making a fiery white hot knot slowly tighten and clench in his gut until it felt as though he would explode.

And then all at once it stopped. Donnie let out a pained whimper as he felt Raph's hand leave his organ. His body moved on it’s own, his hips jerking up, desperately trying to regain contact with Raph's hand, while his head tilted backward offering Raph more of his neck. He gripped Raph's arm tighter. “RA-AHHHHHH!”

A moment later the loudest moan yet erupted from his mouth as he felt something wet and warm brush against his length. His hips bucked towards the new contact as another moan escaped his mouth. He felt both of Raph's arms tighten around his shoulders, which meant……

Donnie felt his face burn with embarrassment and humiliation as he realized Raph was no longer touching him but, “L….L……Leo!”

He squirmed and shifted, trying to get away from Leo’s touch which felt if possible, better than Raph's. but Raphael held him tightly, preventing him from wriggling away from Leo’s touch. Through the embarrassments he was feeling Donnie heard Raph speak. “It’s ok Donnie. Leo doesn’t mind doing this. I think he enjoys it.”

Donnie opened his mouth to protest but found his words turned into a deep throaty moan as he felt something warm, wet and tight cover his organ. His hips moved on their own, bucking against the contact trying to get deeper so more of his length was covered.

His tongue coming to hang out the side of his mouth as he shuddered and moaned. Inside his stomach the fiery white hot knot tightened, becoming painfully tight. He struggled to breath, doing his best to inhale only to have the air forced from his lungs as Leo moved, releasing most of his length from it’s warm wet paradise before resheathing it.

“ **NAAAAAAA**!”

It was all too much. His heart felt like it was going to explode, his nerves were drowning in nothing but pleasure and he could not stop the moans and whimpers that were coming from his mouth. through the blinding pleasure that crashed and writhed within him he felt Raph shifted, reaching up to touch the side of his head, tilting it and giving it a gentle lick before…….

It felt like everything around him froze as Raph's teeth connected with his skin. It was a gentle bit, just hard enough to be a little painful. But it was all that was needed to send Donatello over the edge.

The pleasure that was drowning his body surged, becoming stronger and stronger; raging and storming. It crashed and clawed against the inside of his body searching for a way out until he could not hold it back any longer. Against his will his head snapped back, pushing painfully hard against Raphael’s shoulder as his mouth flew open and…..

“ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** ”

He would not have been surprised if the people in the bustling streets below had stopped to search for the sound of his moan. It echoed around them, momentarily drowning out all other sounds. His body moved on its own, his hips jerking and bucking, as he felt his brother press in completely burying his organ inside its tight warm wet paradise. His back arched, pressing firmly against Raphael’s chest and plastron.

He could feel it, his warm wet paradise pulsing and constructing as the pleasure rushed out of his body, making him twitch and jerk. Tears trickled from his eyes, not from the pain but from just how intense everything felt at that moment. His head tilted, turning to where he knew Raphael’s was, letting out a needful whimper trying to communicate what he wanted.

Raphael seemed to instantly understand. Only a few seconds after Donnie began to whimper he felt Raph's lips capture his in a kiss, Raph’s tongue pushing into his mouth and claiming it as his own. He struggled to focus on his kiss with Raphael each time Leo’s throat would constrict. He forced himself to work through it, forced his tongue to move; to mirror Raphael’s as their kiss prolonged.

But slowly the pleasure was fading now. With each breath he took it ebbed away slowly retreating from his body leaving him feeling…….exhausted.

He groaned as Raph broke their kiss, gently leaning in to nuzzle Donnie’s neck. A fain shudder ran through his body as his organ was released from its paradise, retreating back into his body to recover.

He panted, gasping for air, trying to fill his lungs which suddenly ached and burned. He whimpered as he felt Leo move, his oldest brother’s hands gently running up his thighs and hips before moving along his chest and shoulders before…..

Donnie moaned as he felt Leo’s lips press against his. A kind of exhilarating decadent thrill ran through his body as Leo’s tongue entered his mouth, bringing with it a salty taste that send a shiver up Donnie’s spine.

As he and Leo kissed, Donnie felt Raph move, slowly reaching up to spin Donnie’s mask so he could once again see; although he kept his eyes closed until Leo ended their kiss.

Opening his eyes he blinked slightly at the blurry world around him, moaning gently as Leo leaned in and began to nuzzle the front of his neck, while Raph nuzzled the side.

He felt something inside him stir, some kind of vocalization he’d never felt the urge to make before. A kind of deep, rumbling throaty purr that made the air around them vibrate as it slipped past his lips. As the sound of his churr echoed around them he heard Raph chuckle. “I think he liked that.”

Leo nodded. “Yeah, he seemed to really-”

“WHO’S UP HERE?!”

Instantly years of training kicked in, as they threw themselves away from each other and darted towards places they could hide. Throwing himself behind a large vent shaft Donnie peered out and watched as a man with a flashlight emerged from the rooftop access stairway and looked around the roof. After several moments the man spoke. “WHO EVER IS UP HERE GET OUT! THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY AND I WILL CALL THE COPS.”

Donatello bit his lip, his heart clenching slightly as the beam of the man’s flashlight wandered dangerously close to the air-conditioning unit Leo was hiding behind. Donnie felt adrenaline hit his system, as the man continued to look around the roof. Would they have to attack and incapacitate the man in order to get away?”

Donnie was so focused on the man that his heart nearly jumped out of his chest as from atop the stairway door dropped a cat. Coving his chest and taking deep breaths Donnie watched as the cat turned to look at the man before letting out a loud ‘MEW’ before darting past him, down into the stairway and out of sight.

A faint smile twitched across Donnie’s lips as the man swore, vowing to catch the cat before turning and following the stray back into the building before closing the door behind him.

Remaining hidden for several more seconds Donnie and his brothers waiting until they were certain the man had left before emerging from their hiding spots.

Donnie felt his face flush red as he tried to look at Leo who spoke. “It’s almost midnight. We should get back to the lair.”

Fidning himself unable to speak Donnie only nodded, before falling into their usual part of following Leo, with Raph staying close behind him as they began to make  their way back home.

 

 

** MEANWHILE **

** MIKEY’S POV **

****

****

Opening and closing his mouth Mikey found it was hard to speak. All the air seemed to have left his lungs. Had…..had Leatherhead really just said…….he would take him to the surface? He watched as Leatherhead shifted, reaching out to touch his shoulder gently. “little one…..are you alright?”

He continued to try and speak, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally managing to speak in a shaking voice. “Wh….wh….what d..d..did you……”

But his voice failed him, leaving him once against staring at Leatherhead who sighed before speaking. “Little one……..it pains me to see you so sad. And if being forced to remain underground is the cause of the sadness, then as your friend I will help you. If you wish we can go to the surface. Mind you we will not go into the city as your brothers do; it’s simply to dangerous there. But there are sections of the sewers that emerge into safer parts of the city and even the country side.”

Mikey watched as Leatherhead shifted. “It pains me to see you this way. And I want to help you. Ok?”

Mikey bit his lip, taking several deep breaths before speaking. “But…..splinter says……it’s not safe.”

He watched as Leatherhead sighed softly. “Splinter is a good man but……”

Leatherhead sighed again. How could he put into words his feelings about Mikey’s father? It was true, splinter was a good dad. Kind, caring, compassionate. But at the same time he held certain views that Leatherhead simply did not agree with, chief amongst them being Mikey.

Yes Mikey needed to be kept safe, but splinter’s answer to this was to isolate Mikey and keep him underground so no one would ever see him. Leatherhead however felt that this approach was wrong. Mikey should be allowed to go to the surface, certainly not into the city, but there were plenty of places Mikey could go where he would be safe and not risk being seen by humans.

Sighing again leatherhead continued. “Splinter is a good man, but the choice of, should you go to the surface is not one he should be allowed to make for you. If you want to go to the surface I will take you and if you do not then we can remain here.”

He watched as Mikey shifted slightly, his eyes showing signs of hope. “What……what would we do? Where would we go?”

Leatherhead smiled. “There are woods not far from the city and I have friends who would gladly keep us company as we traveled.”

Leatherhead’s smile grew as Mikey’s eyes went wide. “F…f….freinds? you me….mean……HUMAN…….friends?”

Leatherhead nodded. “Yes.”

This was another thing he and splinter disagreed about. Splinter thought all humans were dangerous and would hate them automatically. And while Leatherhead could not deny that many humans were dangerous, he himself believed that there were good people too. A belief that he’d proven right on a few occasions.

Watching Mikey Leatherhead could almost feel the internal struggle going on within the young turtle; with part of him wanting to go to the surface and see the world, and another part of him wanting to be a good son and honor his father’s wishes.

After a few moments Leatherhead spoke again. “it is all right little one. Do not give an answer right now. Think it over, ok?”

He watched Mikey’s face carefully, noting how Mikey bit his lip before responding. “O….ok.”


	5. UNSEEN CONSIDERATIONS

Walking into the lair Donnie did his best to look at his brothers. Yet try as he might he could not bring himself to look his brother’s faces. It wasn’t that he was……ashamed of what had happened; quite the opposite in fact. He’d loved everything that had happened on that roof top, and that was what was making him so uncomfortable.

“I’m gunna go to bed. Goodnight.”

Donnie bit his lip, offering Raph a weak “goodnight.” He watched as Raph walked away from him and Leo; heading towards his room as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Taking a deep breath Donnie shifted, looking towards his lab. In the back of his mind he knew he should go to bed, but he also knew that there was absolutely no way he would be able to sleep right now; not with the complex storm of emotions that were coursing through his body right now.

It felt like he was in a fog. He walked towards his lab, passing Leo; barely noticing his oldest brother as he moved. Pushing open the door to his lab Donnie moved to look over several of his experiments.

And yet try as he might he simply could not focus. He watched as his machines and gadgets whirred and hummed, going about their jobs with the perfect efficiency he’d come to expect from them. Sighing softly Donnie closed his eyes, reaching up to rub his hand against his face.

“Donnie?”

Opening his eyes Donnie turned, to find that Leo had followed him and was now standing on the other side of the table, watching him. “Ye…yeah Leo?”

He watched as Leo continued to look at him for several moments before speaking. “Are you…..ok?”

Sighing again Donnie looked back down at the table. “I……I……..I don't know.”

Across from him Leo nodded slowly. “Ok. Do…..do you want to talk about it?”

Donnie bit his lip but shrugged. “S…sure……I…..I guess…..” and yet try as he might he could not find the words to voice his feelings. His mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to speak. Tried to explain the thoughts that raced around his head and left him feeling dizzy, nervous, anxious, embarrassed and confused.

After several minutes of silence Leo spoke. “Are you mad?” Donnie’s eyes flicked up, watching as his oldest brother shifted uncomfortably from one leg to the other as he continued to speak. “Did you not like what happened?”

Taking a deep breath Donnie swallowed several times before managing a weak. “No.”

Leo bit his lip. “No, you didn’t like it. Or no, that’s not what’s wrong. ”

Donnie bit his lip. “I……I…….I liked it. A lot. It felt……amazing……but….I...…..what happens now?”

Across from him Leo shook his head. “Nothing happens. We go back to the way things were.”

Donnie stared at him, making Leo sigh. “Donnie this isn’t a commitment or anything. It’s not like; now that we’ve done this you HAVE to keep doing this. Look…..” walking around the table Leo reached out, gently touching Donnie’s shoulder. “…I know Raph can get a bit carried away. But if you don't want him to do those things to you, just say so. He’ll back off. I promise. We don't want to force this on you.”

Nodding slowly Donnie spoke. “Can……can I ask you something?”

Leo nodded. “Of course.”

Donnie felt his face flush a faint shade of red as he spoke. “How….how did this happen…..you and Raph, I mean.”

A faint smile twitched across Leo’s lips. “Remember about a year ago Raph and I got into an argument during training?”

Donnie rolled his eyes. “You’ll have to be WAY more specific than that.”

Leo’s grin grew slightly. “It was the one where he called me splinter junior and I called him a ninja drop out. And then we spent 20 minutes trying to claw each other’s eyes out.”

Donnie nodded. He did remember that fight. It had been a long time since his brothers had pulled out their nicknames for each other. And hearing them again had sent his brother into frenzy with lots of shouting, punching, kicking, and clawing at each other. In the end splinter had been forced to intervene and pry to two turtle’s apart before grounding them both for a week.

Across from Leo continued. “A few days later…..Raph cornered me in the showers after I was done training. I……I honestly thought he might attack me. We started yelling again and before long we were fighting again. But……but it was…..different. He…….he wasn't trying to hurt me……he was just……”

Leo bit his lip as he struggled to put into words how the fight had gone. Yes there had been punching and kicking, but there had been more grappling and holding. Raphael had clung to his body, pressing against him as though trying to hug him in some bizarre way. “It was like he just wanted to be close to me and…..before I knew it…..we both dropped down and……and….”

Again Leo bit his lip, shuddering slightly as the memories of that night washed over him. Yes he’d gotten hard before, and yes he’d dropped down a few times, his organ becoming exposed to the world. But he’d always resisted the urge, always striven not to give into his bodies wants. "But this time had been different, this time..... We just couldn’t hold back anymore.”

Shifting to look at Donnie, Leo continued. “It was like all that pent up anger melted away. All I could think about was showing him how much I loved and cared about him. And-”

“And I felt the same way about him.” Both Leo and Donnie turned both sets of eyes widening as they found Raphael was standing in the doorway looking at them. After a few seconds Raph spoke. “For so long I’d been struggling with my feelings. I’d try to tell him how I felt. But I wouldn't know what to say, which made me feel stupid. So I’d snap and get angry every time he tried to help me. We’d get into a fight and I'd want to rip Leo's head off and beat him to death with it. But then afterwards.......I’d feel so sad and upset that I wanted to run and hug him. To tell him I didn’t mean it. That I loved him and beg his forgiveness on the off chance that he was still mad at me. And I............I just couldn't do it anymore. I just couldn't go through that emotional roller coaster anymore."  
  
Donnie watched as Raph moved into the lab, sliding the door shut behind him before moving towards Leo. A moment later Donnie's eyes widened slightly as he watched Raph pull Leo into a gentle kiss. Donnie watched, his breath seeming to catch in his chest as he watched the kiss deepen. He watched as ever so slightly Raph's jaw moved a moment later Leo let out a soft moan and shifted, leaning deeper into the kiss. It happened a moment later, consciously Donnie didn't mean for it to happen. one moment he was watching Leo and Raph kiss and the next.......  
  
a moment later his eyes jerked to the floor, a bright blush of embarrassment spreading across his face as Leo and Raph broke apart to look at him; their attentions pulled from each other and directed at him as a result of the loud whimper that had escaped his mouth. He could hear movement in front of him; the sounds of Raph and Leo moving. A moment later his bit his lip as he felt a hand touch his chin. His breath became ragged as he felt the hand against his chin slowly begin to push; forcing him to look up. For a moment he stood there frozen; like a dear in the headlights as in front of him Raph looked at him, a small smile covering his face. "Donnie....."  
  
A moment later he broke. Something inside him that he'd managed to bring under control since the scene on the rooftop broke free from its bonds and rushed through him. He lunged forward, his arms wrapping around Raph's shoulders as their lips rushed in to meet.   
  
He groaned into the kiss. How could this feel so good? How could such simple contact with his own brother make him look like he was in heaven? how-  
  
but his thoughts were cut off as he felt another hand touch his face, pulling his away from Raphael; making them break the kiss before....  
  
he groaned again, his eyes drifting closed as this time Leo kissed him. He shuddered, the spasm running the length of his spine. It felt so good, impossibly good 1,000 times better than he had ever dared to hope it would feel. Even as he continued to kiss Leo he felt Raphael move, leaning in to nuzzle and kiss his neck and shoulders. Only when the need for air outweighed his need to keep kissing did he and Leo break apart; both of them gasping for breath.   
  
A moment later he turned, his lips seeming to hone in perfectly on Raph's. Another shudder rolled up his spine, triggered by the feeling of Raph's tongue gently running against his lips. His response was automatic, his mouth opened allowing Raph’s tongue to move in and brush against his own. He inhaled sharply, a jolting tingling shudder rippling through his body as his and Raph's tongue rubbed and brushed against the others. For several minutes he and Raph kissed, breaking apart only when the need for air had begun to make him dizzy.

Panting and gasping for oxygen Donnie felt Leo move, shifting so he now stood behind Raph before leaning in to nuzzle Raph's neck. After a moment Raph spoke. “Look Donnie……I……I know……I kinda rushed things up on the roof. And I’m sorry. But I love you………just as much as I love Leo. And that’s a whole lot. So………I want you to be comfortable with this.”

As he spoke Raph reached out and gently touched Donnie’s chest. “I want you to understand that I don’t EXPECT anything from you. If this bothers you or makes you uncomfortable then just tell me, we’ll stop and we never have to speak of this again. But……..but just know……that Leo and I are here. We accept you and whatever feelings you have; whether they’re romantic or just experimental. Ok?”

Donnie bit his lip but nodded. In truth he wasn’t sure what he wanted. Part of him……a VERY BIG part of him loved what was happening. It loved being kissed and held and touched in such a loving way. He’d never in his wildest dream expected to kiss or touch someone like this. So when he’d first started to have dreams about touching and kissing his own brothers……it had been disheartening. But now everything was different. Leo and Raph were not only ok with his feelings but they were willing to help him explore those feelings.

But another part of him felt anxious at the idea. What would splinter say if he found out? The aging rat had been kind and understanding of each of their own….eccentricities growing up. But this……this was something VERY different. Not only that but the potential for this to disrupt their squad dynamics was more than-

“Hey……earth to egg head.” Blinking Donnie found himself pull from his thoughts as Raph's hand come to rest against his shoulder. Slowly his gaze shifted, finding Raph's face which was covered in a look of apology. After a few moments Raph spoke. “Look Donnie…….you don’t have to answer right now. In fact I think it might be best if you didn’t. Just…….just think about it and get back to us when you figure it out……ok?”

Biting his lip Donnie nodded. “O…..o…..ok.”

Across from Raph smiled, an action that sent a small flutter through Donnie’s stomach; since when had Raphael’s smile made him feel this way. After a moment Raph let go of his shoulder. “Well……ok, now I’m really off to bed. Goodnight”

Donnie nodded. “G…goodnight Raph.”

He watched as Raphael turned and left the lab leaving him and Leo standing awkwardly across from each other. After several moments of silence Leo spoke. “I….um……I should probably go to. Goodnight Donnie.”

Again Donnie nodded. “Goodnight Leo.”

He watched as Leo turned and left, pulling the door shut behind him; leaving Donnie alone in the lab. Sighing softly Donnie turned, intending to turn his attention upon one of the dozen half finished inventions that littered his workbench. But 15 minutes later he gave up, sighing exasperatedly before turning off the lights of his lab. It was no use; no matter how hard he tried he simply couldn’t focus. Leaving the lab Donnie yawned, now suddenly aware of just how tired he really was. Moving into the room he normally shared with Mikey, Donnie raised an eyeridge as he found Mikey’s bed to be empty. Was Mikey still with leatherhead?

But another yawn served to push that thought aside. Leatherhead was like family to them; if Mikey wanted to spend the night with him, then that was his choice to make. Clambering into bed Donnie moved, laying down in his usual spot and position before closing his eyes and readying himself for sleep to take him as it often did. And yet……

Donnie groaned, shifting slightly under the blankets. Something felt off. No matter which way he lay he simply could not get comfortable. Twisting and shifting under the blankets Donnie did his best to get comfortable; even going so far as to punch his pillow several times to try and get it to a consistency he liked. But it was not use, his bed simply felt……wrong.

Sighing Donnie moved, turning so he was laying on his shell while looking up at the ceiling. Everything was changing. His mind struggled to comprehend what was going on; everything from the patrols he and his brothers were now going on, to this new possible relationship with Leo and Raph……it all swirled in his brain making him feel slightly dizzy. Would it really be such a bad thing? He liked touching and kiss Raph, that much he couldn’t possibly deny. Kissing and touching Leo was nice too but Raph……

Against his will Donnie shuddered as he remembered how it had felt when Raph had wrapped his arms around his shoulders. It had felt warm, safe as though…..as though he belonged there. Another shudder rolled up his spine. Suddenly he felt alone, completely and utterly, disgustingly alone.

Before he knew what he was doing he was moving; getting out of bed and leaving his room. Wandering down the hallway he came to a stop in front of Raph's door. His body moved on its own, his heart hammering in his chest as he reached out and knocked softly on Raphael’s door. His heart continued to pound in his chest as silence met his knock broken only when a soft “come in” came from the other side of the wooden door.

Pushing the door open Donnie opened his mouth to speak, only to freeze as he found that Raphael was not the only person in the room. Leo was there to, the oldest brother was laying in Raphael’s bed with his head against Raphael’s chest, cuddling with the hot headed turtle. For a brief moment Donnie recalled the time Mikey had thrown up on his; he’d come to ask Raphael to watch Mikey. He’d found Leo and Raph like this before. Had…….had that been the start of this relationship?

“What’s up don?” Raph's voice was soft and half filled with sleep. Shifting nervously Donnie tried to speak; only to find that no words would come out of his open mouth. He tried several times to speak, each time he managed to open his mouth only for no sound to come out. After a few moments Raphael groaned. “Did you wanna sleep here tonight Donnie?”

His response was automatic, his head nodding before he’d even realized he was doing it. He watched as Raphael smiled warmly at him. “Come here then.”

Again his response was automatic as he moved towards Raph's bed. As he moved he watched as Raph shifted, scooting away slightly from Leo before patting the new space he’d created between their two bodies. “Make yourself at home.”

He didn’t respond. His body felt…..numb. Slowly he moved, climbing onto the bed before climbing over Raphael and settling into the spot Raph had made for him. In the back of his mind he could not help but let out a small sigh of relief. When they had been younger they had slept like this, Leo, Raph, Mikey and him had all shared a bed for several years; cuddling and huddling with each other. He and Mikey had always been on the inside with Raph and Leo on the outside.

Moving to make himself comfortable Donnie froze as he felt Raph shift, one of his arms coming to drape across Donnie’s side; while at the same time Donnie felt one of Leo’s arms drape across his hips. His eyes moved, looking up at Raphael who smiled again at him making his stomach flutter. “Goodnight egg head.”

Slowly Donnie nodded. “G…..G….Goodnight.”

He forced himself to do it, to close his eyes and try and relax. He expected to lay there, his mind plagued by the same thoughts that had driven him from his own bed. And yet as he lay there he could not help but feel…..calm. It felt good to lay like this, with Raphael’s warm breath ghosting across his face while Leo’s wafted against his back. Taking a deep breath Donnie felt himself begin to slip, his body slowly drifting off into sleep.

 

 

** MEANWHILE **

 

He watched as all around him police worked; marking off the crime scene, dragging away the criminals, or examining the area for evidence. Smiling slightly he moved, beginning to walk through the crowd of police officers towards the warehouse they had been called to investigate. In truth he wasn’t supposed to be here, technically no one but the police should be here. But his boss had given him a job. Not that it was a hard job, it was easy enough to reach into the minds of the police around him; to shift their attentions away from him so he could walk passed them without fear of being noticed. Even if a cop were to look directly at him, they wouldn’t truly ‘see’ him; because their minds would be too busy focusing on other things.

Stepping into the warehouse he paused, watched as a pair of cops dragged another half conscious purple dragon out of the building. Reaching out he touched the gangster’s mind, allowing his thought and memories to flow into his own mind. Something had happened; something in the purple dragon’s plan had gone wrong. They’d been given orders to blow up the warehouse and had been given C4. And yet as they’d set the charges something had gone wrong they’d been attacked by an unseen foe that had moved so swiftly that none of them had had a chance to resist.

Releasing the purple dragon’s mind he moved, turning his attention towards the job he’d been given. Making his way through the warehouse he came to a stop only when he’d found what he was looking for. Looking up he smiled as he found that one of the large overhead lights that illuminated the warehouse was off, the light bulb seeming to be burned out. But he knew better; he knew that screwed into the light socket wasn’t no light bulb.

Putting his hand out towards the light he began to focus allowing his mind to flow forward like a river of will and force. He willed his mind to move, to reach out like a hand and grip the thing inside the light socket, to slowly twist it free and return it to his real hand. His opened as he felt something cool and hard be placed in his hand. Smiling to himself he looked at the small box like device with a single red camera lens on each side.

Stuffing the device in his pocket he moved, leaving the warehouse and soon the crime scene entirely. The moment he was out of sight of the police he dropped his grip on their minds, sighing contently as a small pressure in his head lessened slightly. Hurrying across the street, he pulled out his phone, dialing the only number that was programmed into it. Putting the phone to his ear he listened to the phone ring, making it to the 2nd ring before it was answered. “Hello?”

Smiling to himself he spoke. “It’s me, Rockwell. I got it.”

A moment later the voice on the other end of the line spoke. “Good.”

Rockwell nodded. “Yeah, but there’s something odd going on down here. The thugs that were send by shredder to blow up your warehouse, they were attacked by….something. None of them got a good look so I don’t know what it was. But it stopped them, and was smart enough to take their C4 with it, when it left.”

After a moment the other voice spoke. “The devise you retrieved is a 3-dimensions hologram recorder. I installed it after I got a tip off that shredder’s goons were coming. It recorded everything that happened inside the warehouse, and in perfect detail. Get it back here and we shall see just what REALLY happened.”

Rockwell nodded. “What about shredder’s thugs? Should I kill them?”

The voice on the line laughed. “No need. They failed shredder. They’ll be dead soon enough. Just get back here.”

Rockwell nodded. “very well.”

Hanging up his phone Rockwell looked down at the electronic device In his hand. His mind moved, surging forward and around the phone before clamping down on it, squeezing and crushing the device in his palm. He watched as the phone began to shake, the plastic casing beginning to crack and splinter under his telekinetic assault. A moment later the screen cracked and shattered before exploding outwards leaving the phone as nothing more than a pile of dust and broken bits of plastic in his hand.

Allowing the bits of broken plastic and dust to fall to the ground Rockwell began to move, walking silently through the alleys and streets, heading towards one of the large skyscrapers that dotted the New York skyline; the bright neon letters on the side of the building spelling out STOCKMAN INDUSTRIES.


	6. Chapter 6

He groaned as he began to work, rubbing pressing and pushing against the sore muscles in his leg. It was one of the unfortunate side effects of his injury; after a while the muscles would become tight and stiff and he’d be forced to stop whatever it was he was doing and massage them stiffness out. He began to press harder, doing his best to work quickly. In the back of his mind he supposed it didn’t really matter. Donnie, Leo and Raph were training in the dojo with Splinter and all he’d been doing was sweeping out the lair. But that knowledge didn’t stop his fingers from working to quickly rub and massage away the aches and throbs that wracked his leg.

His fingers glided over his skin, occasionally running along the large scar where he’d been injured so many years ago. He bit his lip, pressing harder and harder against the tougher patches of skin.

“Mikey?”

He’d been so focused on massaging his leg that he hadn’t heard the door to his bedroom open. He smiled sheepishly at Donnie who was watching him from the doorway. “H…hey Donnie…….everything ok? Did you need something?”

Donnie shook his head. “No….I just…….are you ok?”

Mikey nodded, doing his best to sound aloof and cool as he spoke. “Yeah….my leg is just sore, that’s all. But don’t worry I’ll finish sweeping out the lair soon.”

Almost immediately he knew he’d said the wrong thing. In front of him Donnie sighed before moving into the room and closing the door behind him. “Lay back.”

Mikey bit his lip. “I’m f…..fine Donnie…..really.”

But Donnie shook his head. “Mikey if your leg is bothering you, then you’re not fine. Now, lay back.”

Mikey’s eyes dipped down, coming to focus on his foot. “I……I didn’t want to bother anyone while you were……training.”

He felt his mattress dip down slightly as Donnie moved to join him on the bed. “Mikey, you’re our brother…….you wouldn’t bother us.”

He bit his lip again. “But……your training…..it’s more important than me. You need it to be ninja.”

He felt Donnie’s hand touch his shoulder. “We need you more. We’re a family and family always comes first. Ok?”

Again Mikey bit his lip but nodded. “O…..okay.”

Next to him Donnie smiled. “Now…..” gently Donnie pushed Mikey back until his shell was resting against the small pile of pillows at the head of the bed. “….just relax and let me help you. Ok?” as he spoke Donnie shifted, lifting Mikey’s leg before laying it across his lap.

A moment later a soft moan escaped Mikey’s mouth as Donnie began to work, his fingers pressing much harder than Mikey’s had only moments ago. Another moan escaped from his mouth, this one a bit louder as Donnie’s fingers found and began to work on a knot in his calf. It felt good, unbelievably good. Donnie’s fingers felt like magic, seeming to know exactly where to go and what to do to make the aches and pains in his legs vanish.

But there was more to it than that, there was…..

Mikey shuddered as he inhaled, his nose filling with Donnie’s scent; the smell of sweat, chemicals and old paper. He bit his lip as something deep in his chest began to clench. It felt so good…..having Donnie this close to him again. They’d always been close when they were younger, but as time had gone on they’d lost most of that closeness.

He bit his lip harder, struggling with himself to remain laying back. He wanted to move, to press against Donnie, to hug and hold him and…….

“No, no, no…..it’s wrong”

He whispered those words to himself, silently trying to push back the feelings of want that were slowly beginning to bubble in his chest. He knew what he wanted; he could see it so clearing in his mind’s eye. Every synapse in his brain was telling him to reach out, grab Donnie, and pull him into a kiss. But he resisted, clamping his eyes shut to try and block out the thoughts and images of him and Donnie kissing that assaulted his mind.

A moment later his head tilted back, a faint whimper escaped from his mouth as Donnie’s hands moved upwards, coming to work on his inner thigh. His body moved on its own, shifting to push into the touch. Mikey clamped his eyes tighter, continuing to whisper to himself. “No, no, no, no.”

He shuddered again as Donnie’s hands moved; now working on his upper thigh. He bit his lip so hard he could taste blood. Donnie’s touch felt perfect. Against his will his back arched as the side of Donnie’s wrist brushed against the slit that housed his organ.

It happened all at once. One moment he was laying there, his eyes clamped firmly shut doing his best to resist the feelings of lust and need that were steadily growing inside him; and the next……

“Oh god…..please……no….”

But it was no use. Mikey reached out, grabbing a pillow before pressing it firmly against his face as he felt his body shudder and tremble, while the skin around his stomach seemed to tighten for a split second. Against his will his back arched, his body released his organ which he pressed against Donnie’s arm in shameful want. His mouth opened, a husky single word spoken into the pillow that he kept pressed against his face. “Donnie…..”

His face burned with humiliation and shame as he felt Donnie’s touch leave his body. Against his will he let out a loud whimper at the loss of contact with his bother. Forcing himself to breathe Mikey spoke into the pillow, praying that Donnie could hear him. “I’m sorry……I’m so sorry….. I…..” tears were leaking down the sides of his eyes. He could feel them dampening the pillow, but he didn’t remove it.

It was the only thing keeping him from completely breaking down. How long had he struggled with these feelings? How many times had he been forced to get up in the middle of the night and limp around the lair to try and clear his thoughts of the lust that churned and bubbled for his own brother? And it had been all for nothing……Donnie knew now……

Mikey could only imagine the look of disgust and revulsion that must have been covering his brother’s-

“AHHHHHH!”

Mikey’s back arched, his still open mouth coming to clamp down on a mouthful of pillow as he felt something rough and warm wrap tightly around his organ. Every nerve in his body screamed in pleasure and another moan erupted from his mouth as he felt the tight grip on his organ begin to move, shifting up and down along his length.

He bit down on the pillow harder. No, this couldn’t be happening, there was no way….

He whimpered loudly as he felt something grip the other side of the pillow, trying to pull it away from his face. His grip tightened this time a whimpering moan coming from his mouth. It felt so good. He gasped, his body moving on its own, his hips thrusting upwards into the tight warm grip, making pleasure ripple through his body.

He gasped, a loud pained, whimpering gasp as suddenly the pillow was pulled away from his face. He scrambled, doing his best to cover his face with his hands. Above him he could hear it, Donnie’s soft gentle voice speaking to him. “Mikey……look at me.”

He shook his head, pressing his hands against his face as hard as he could. He felt the grip on his organ tighten, making his hips jerks and buck wildly into them, forcing another moan from his lips. “Mikey…..look at me.”

Again he shook his head. No, no, no; it was wrong, this couldn’t be happening. A shudder rolled through his body as he felt Donnie move, his hand now running up and down Mikey’s engorged and throbbing length. He bit his lip, doing his best to try and keep his resolve. Every nerve in his body felt like it was on fire, and his brain was screaming at him to grab Donnie and never let him go. Above him Donnie repeated himself. “Mikey……look at me.”

He felt his resolve begin to waver. The pressure on his face from his hands began to lessen, slowly, little by little until……

He felt Donnie’s free hand move, gently gripping one of his wrists before pulling the hand away from his face. For a moment time seemed to freeze, all Mikey could do was look up at Donnie who smiled lovingly down at him. His mouth opened on its own, “D….d….Donnie….I…..”

A moment later Mikey’s eyes rolled back into his head as Donnie leaned down and their lips connected in a gentle loving kiss. His arms moved, reaching out to grab the edges of Donnie’s shell so as to keep Donnie there; their bodies firmly locked together. Their bodies ground together, Donnie’s hand beginning to speed up making Mikey moan and whimper into the kiss. His head was spinning, his skin felt like it was on fire and every nerve in his body felt like it was being electrocuted. He broke the kiss his, head tilting back on its own as his mouth opened and let out a loud feral moan.

It felt so good; to finally have Donnie like this; to feel their bodies pressed together like this. He could feel Donnie’s breath against his neck as Donnie nuzzled and kissed the sensitive skin, earning him another moan. He felt out of control, his body moved on its own; his hips jerking and thrusting upwards into Donnie’s grip. He could barely breathe as an endless string of moans whimpers and growls left his mouth as he felt Donnie’s grip tighten. He could feel it, something white hot and raging in his stomach, getting closer and closer making him moan louder and thrust faster into Donnie’s grip. God he felt like he was in fire, above him he could feel Donnie’s breathe against his face.

His back arched, and his mouth opened as he let out another moan. His hips wouldn’t stop moving, thrusting into Donnie’s grip as his brother continued to pump and rub his organ making Mikey’s skin tingle and burn. A moment later Donnie’s lips were crushed against his again. A kind of electric jolt flashed through Mikey’s body as he felt Donnie’s tongue enter his mouth, his own tongue moving to mimic Donnie’s; rubbing and pressing together. Their bodies moved closer, their plastron’s rubbing roughly together as Mikey cling to Donnie’s shell with as much strength as he could. He was NEVER going to let Donnie go now.

And then at once his body spasmed, his back arching, his mouth flying open to let out a single echoing shaking moan. Suddenly the fire that had covered and filled his body was moving, rushing out of him. His vision swam and nothing he did could stop his arms from shaking as they struggled to maintain their grip on Donnie’s shell. Through the blinding mind-numbing pleasure that racked his body he felt something. Something was changing; everything was becoming lighter, as though it was fading away. He forced himself to move, to push forward and claim Donnie’s lips. “Don….

 

** REALITY  **

 

“nie…….”

A split second later his body jerked, his eyes snapping open as reality came crashing down around him. He’d been dreaming he was alone in his bed; none of it had been real. For a split second Mikey could not help but feel sadness. The dream had been so good. Donnie’s body had felt so good, his lips……

But a split second later the feeling of sadness vanished replaced with disgust and shame which welled up in his stomach and chest like a boulder. He clamped his eyes shut, mentally willing the memories of the dream to go away. Yet try as he might it was no use; he could not remove the mental images of Donnie and him pressed together. Against his will he let out a soft moan, remember how good Donnie’s lip had felt against his own. Everything…….everything had felt so good. Was…….would Donnie really be so gentle and loving? Would his lips feel-

A moment later Mikey growled at himself. It was wrong, these thoughts, these dreams; they were sick and disgusting and…….wrong……..no matter how good they felt. Rolling over Mikey stared up at the ceiling of his and Donnie’s room. In the back of his mind he was aware that he couldn’t hear the sounds of Donnie’s snoring coming from next door; a telltale sign that Donnie had probably fallen asleep in his lab again.

Taking a deep breath Mikey did his best to relax. This wasn't the first time he’d had a dream like this. In truth he’d been having dreams like this for the last six or seven months now. At first they had been…..alarming and disturbing to him. They filled him with a sense of disgust and anxiety……..but then…….

Sighing again Mikey groaned as a small throb racked his leg. It had taken him over a month but one day when he’d been about take his pain meds something in his brain had clicked. The pain meds usually made him feel loopy and confused; as though he was looking at the world through a fog. Was it possible that the pills were the reason he was having these dreams? Often times after he’d take his pill he’d become extremely loopy and confused before falling asleep; yet another side effect of the meds.

But after he’d made that connection he’d changed; he’d stopped taking his pills in hopes that the dreams would stop too. He’d known it wouldn’t work right away. Donnie had once explained to him that it took months for a body to rid itself of trace amounts of medications. And so he’d continued to not take his pill, and each day he’d noticed a small difference.

It had started slowly; a week after he’d stopped he’d gotten out of bed only to notice how hard the stone floors felt under his feet; a few days after that he’d been sweeping and had been forced to stop as he found the muscles in his arms felt unusually tired and sore. And yes his leg now caused him pain; deep throbbing pulsing aches that made it feel as though someone had tied heavy weights to it. But he pushed passed the discomfort, doing his best to banish the pain from his mind. It was all for a good cause; these dreams were…….sick…….wrong……disgusting.

Donnie was his brother. It was wrong of him to think of him in any other way. But try as he might, no matter how many times he told himself that……he could not deny the dreams felt…….amazing.

Each touch, each kiss, each lovingly gentle caress….they filled him with happiness. A kind of fluttering, bubbling, shiny happiness that filled his body and made him want to never stop smiling. Against his will he’d begun to enjoy the dreams, they were a kind of…….release to him. A way of coping with the suddenly harsh world around him.

Sighing softly Mikey moved, sitting up in bed. Glancing sideways at his clock Mikey found that it was 5:49AM; only 11 minutes from when he normally woke up. Rubbing the back of his head gently Mikey made up his mind, pushing the blankets away from his body before swinging his legs over the side of the bed so he could get to his feet. He could not help but breathe a small sigh of relief as he found that, although his pouch was swollen, his organ had not dropped down; allowing him to leave his room without having to wait for his arousal to dissipate. Yawning softly he moved, making his way out of his bedroom before moving down the hallway.

Once inside the bathroom Mikey moved to stand in front of the sink, blinking at his own reflection in the mirror as he slowly filled the sink with cool water. Reaching down Mikey gasped, shivering slightly as he brought handfuls of the cold water against his face to help wake himself up. Shaking his head he moved, wiping his face off before leaving the bathroom and moving down the hallway; being careful so as not to wake his brothers as he headed towards the living room and kitchen.

Entering the living room Mikey sighed as he moved into the kitchen. Gathering up what he’d need he set to work, first turning on the oven before breaking eggs and whipping them, and then adding milk and dropping bread into the mixture only to set them on the now hot pan. He smiled weakly to himself, his hand unconsciously going to his leg to rub at the sore muscles. Soon the smell of French toast began to fill the kitchen. Shifting his attention Mikey moved, preparing to heat the water for Master Splinter’s and Leo’s tea while at the same time turning on the coffee maker for Raph and Donnie.

Soon enough he could hear voices and movement as his brothers woke, each of them calling to each other softly before moving through the hallway and…… “Good morning Leo, Raph.”

Mikey smiled, watching as Raph and Leo emerged from the hallway that led to their bedrooms. Smiling at both of them he moved, reaching into a cupboard to produce a cup for Leo’s tea and a mug for Raph's coffee. “Breakfast is almost ready. Why don’t you watch some TV while I finish it?”

He watched as Leo and Raph glanced at each other. “Are you sure Mikey? We could help.”

But Mikey shook his head. “No. I’m fine.” As he spoke Mikey could not help but bite his lip as his leg let off a small aching throb. “All I have to do is cook the eggs and those will only be 5 minutes.”

He watched as Leo looked to Raph. “O…..ok Mikey……if you’re sure.”

He nodded in response. “I’m sure.”

Moving to drop more toast into the toaster Mikey watched as Leo and Raph glanced at each other again. After a moment Leo spoke. “Is Donnie in his lab?”

Mikey nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I couldn’t hear him in his room.”

Leo nodded. “I’ll go wake him then.”

Moving out of the living room Leo walked down the hallway towards Donnie’s lab before pushing open the large sliding metal door that led to Donnie’s lab. As the metal door slid sideways Leo felt his eyes widen slightly before letting out a soft sigh. In front of him was a sight he’d grown accustomed to over the last 3 years; Donnie slumped over a large medical textbook snoring softly.

Sighing again Leo moved, gently touching Donnie’s shoulder. “Donnie…….Donnie…….”

Giving Donnie’s body a gentle shake Leo watched as the genius turtle mumbled and shifted slightly in his sleep while muttering something under his breath that Leo couldn’t hear. Continuing to gently shake Donnie Leo smiled as Donnie began to respond, moaning and shifting. “Hmmmmm.”

Leo watched as Donnie slowly opened his eyes, turning to look up at him. Smiling at his waking brother Leo spoke softly. “It’s morning Donnie. Mikey’s almost got breakfast ready.”

Slowly Donnie shifted, looking from Leo’s face before looking down at the book he’d fallen asleep on. As Donnie moved Leo found that it was a medical text book Donnie had fallen asleep reading. From the books old and slightly faded pages, medical diagrams and charts detailing a normal human leg’s skeletal and muscular systems met his gaze. Watching Donnie begin to move Leo spoke. “How late were you up till?”

In front of him Donnie shrugged, leaning back to stretch his arms and back, noting that his back popped several times as he bent it. “I don’t know…..2 or 3……….maybe 4…….”

Sighing softly Leo spoke. “Donnie…..”

Donnie turned, looking up at him, his brown eyes searching Leo’s face for a moment. “What Leo? What am I supposed to do?”

Leo bit his lip, his eyes scanning Donnie’s face. How many times had he and Donnie had this discussion? Despite the time since the accident Donnie still blamed himself for the injury that continued to hamper Mikey. In the weeks and months following Mikey’s injury Donnie had thrown himself into a kind of frenzy searching for anything and everything that could have helped Mikey recover what the injury had taken from him. Sadly it had been all for naught. True, Donnie had discovered several surgeries and medical procedures that could have restored Mikey’s leg to nearly 100% functionality. But all of those procedures required trained medical professionals working for several hours, something that was simply impossible for them to get. But that didn’t stop the genius turtle from pulling all-nighter research sessions whenever he found something new that could help Mikey.

Sighing softly again Leo spoke. “We’ll make it up to him. Someday I promise you Mikey will join us on the surface.”

Donnie remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I…….I wanted to ask you something.”

Leo nodded. “What is it?”

In front of him, Leo watched as Donnie shifted nervously for a moment before speaking. “Today……I was gunna ask Mikey to let me give him a physical and……and while we’re together I was…….going to ask him if………he’s……..been having…….urges…….like us.”

Leo bit his lip. It was true; a few times Donnie had voiced his desire to see if Mikey wished to join their open relationship. It had been almost a month after Donnie himself had joined and in that time Leo had seen a notable change in his genius brother. Several times he had noticed that Donnie seemed healthier, and most of all happier now that he was part of the relationship.

In truth Leo wondered if perhaps simply knowing that he was not the only one having such thoughts and feelings had helped to make Donnie feel better. Yes it was true Leo had walked into a room on several occasions and found Donnie and Raph cuddling or kissing; or in one particular instance after a rather intense sparring session Donnie had cornered him in the showers and they’d had a VERY ‘hands on’ shower. But as far as Leo knew he and Raph had only had ever used their hands on Donnie. But it was more than that. Donnie seemed less isolated now, often coming out of his lab to eat meals with his family, something he’d rarely done before.

“Leo?”

Pulling himself back to reality Leo blinked down at Donnie who continued to speak. “Do…..do you have any advice for me? About Mikey?”

Leo nodded. He and Raph had discussed at length about how to bring their relationship up. “Don’t outright ask him if he’s having sex dreams about us. Just sort of………ask him if he’s been having ‘odd’ dreams. And if he says yes ask him about them. Don’t be to direct, or he might feel like you’re accusing him of something. Just………just talk with him. Try to make him understand that if he’s having urges, they’re ok.”

As he spoke Leo watched as Donnie nodded. “Ok. I think I can do that.”

Nodding Leo continued. “And if he is having these kinds of dreams and urges…….then explain to him that it’s ok. We’ve all had them. They’re not something to be ashamed of. They’re natural.”

Donnie looked up at Leo. “You’ve thought this through.”

Leo smiled weakly. “Raph and I spent almost 6 months trying to figure out how to talk to you about it. Raph was sure you’d see through any attempts to disguise or hide our intent.”

Donnie chuckled. “Nope……I…..I was caught completely by surprise. I…….” Leo watched as Donnie shifted in his seat before continuing. “I remember…….feeling ashamed. Like I was sick or something. I’d wake up from a dream and find myself rock hard and I’d hate myself. I’d tell myself over and over that it was wrong, you were my brothers; that these feelings were disgusting and perverse.”

Feeling his heart swell, Leo leaned in, putting his hand on Donnie’s shoulder. “You’re none of those things Donnie. You’re smart, and kind, and caring and so full of love. You’re not sick or disgusting. You’re beautiful.”

As he spoke Leo looked into Donnie’s eyes, seeing the brown orbs sparkle and shine before……

Thee kiss was gentle and loving, making Leo moan softly as he felt Donnie’s body press against his. His hands moved automatically, shifting downward to Donnie’s hips where this thumbs drew soft circles against Donnie’s skin. After a few moments Donnie pulled away, a faint red blush covering his face. “I…..Um…….”

Smiling at his brother Leo spoke. “Come on Donnie. Let’s go have breakfast.”

Donnie’s only response was to smile sheepishly before nodding and allowing Leo to pull him from the lab.

 

 

** LATER **

“UUUURRRRRPPPPPP!”

“Raph….”

Across from him Leo watched as Raph rolled his eyes. “What?”

Sighing to himself Leo shook his head. He knew better than to push the subject of Raph's belch. It was simply a fight he couldn’t win no matter how hard he fought. Shifting in his seat Leo instead looked at Mikey who had stood up and was beginning to gather up all their plates and cups. “I was thinking……..maybe after our patrol……we could all watch a movie or something. Spend some time together.”

Leo watched as Mikey set the plates and cups in the sink before turning to respond. “I…..I’d like that. But only if you guys want to. I…….I know your patrols are important.”

Across from Leo Raph stretched. “Meh. We could use a night off. The patrols are boring as hell. Watching a movie sounds way more fun.”

From his spot in front of the sink Mikey shifted. He knew Raph was lying; trying to be nice to him. And while it was true the idea of watching a movie with them later was VERY appealing, he simply could not shake the feeling that his brothers were taking pity on him; offering to stay up late even though they’d be exhausted because they felt bad for him. But he was saved from responding by the small chiming of the clock they kept in the living room.

Biting his lip Leo moved, standing up. The chiming sounds meant it was now 8am; the time they all started their training for the day. Even as he stood there he heard the unmistakable sound of the dojo door being pushed open a sign that Master Splinter was ready for them. Next to him Donnie and Raph also stood up. Opening his mouth to speak Leo felt his throat clench slightly as he noted Mikey’s shoulders had slumped forward; an obvious sign that he was sad. “I promise Mikey. We’ll watch a movie together when we get back from patrol tonight. Ok?”

Mikey nodded slowly. “Ok.”

Smiling as best he could Leo’s head turned as Master Splinter spoke from the dojo. “My sons it is time to begin your training for the day.”

Biting his lip Leo gave Mikey one last smile before leaving the table and moving towards the dojo with Raph and Donnie following behind him.

 

 

** MIKEY’S POV **

 

 

Watching his brothers move towards the dojo Mikey could not help but let out a soft sigh. It hurt slightly, each day he heard Splinter speak those words he could not help but feel a little sad. He knew Splinter didn’t do it on purpose; there was absolutely no way Splinter could know how those words made him feel. But each time he spoke to them Mikey could not help but wonder…….did Splinter still consider him as a son? After all……he didn’t have training.

Shaking his head slightly Mikey pushed that thought away. Busying himself with the dishes Mikey scrubbed each plate and cup until it was clean, before setting them out to dry while he did the rest of his chores. As he moved towards the closet where he kept the broom he could not help but hiss slightly as his leg let off several faint twinges of pain. He knew for experience these twinges would get worse throughout the day, meaning he’d better hurry and finish his chores soon.

Sweeping the lair was always a simple task for him. As he moved slowly through the dining room, living room and bedroom hallway he could let his mind wander as his body went on autopilot. He found his thoughts turned towards Leatherhead, and the offer the large sewer gator had made to him. _‘If you wish we can go to the surface.’_

Had the offer been true? Would Leatherhead really take him to the surface if he wanted to or was this all some kind of trick? He knew Leatherhead and Splinter talked, keeping tabs on him. Was this all some sort of test Splinter had set up to see if he would try and disobey Splinter’s orders? Would Splinter really toy and manipulate him with such a cruel test. For a moment Mikey froze. What if it wasn't a test? What if……Leatherhead’s offer was genuine? What if Leatherhead really would take him to the surface?

Forcing himself to continue sweeping Mikey bit his lip. In truth he wasn't scared of going to the surface. His arms began to shake slightly as he imagined it; going up to the surface with Leatherhead, walking around, feeling the sunlight on his shell, feeling the wind pass over his skin, breathing fresh clean air. He’d dreamt about going to the surface for years. And now…..to have a chance……..

But at the same time Mikey felt his heart clench guiltily as the sound of Splinter’s voice met his ears. “Good work my sons. AGAIN!”

Taking a deep breath Mikey continued to sweep, shifting from the living room to the hallway that branched off to his and his brother’s bedrooms. Time and time again he’d asked Splinter if he could go to the surface. But time and time again Splinter had explained to him that the surface was simply too dangerous for him. With Leatherhead’s offer he could see the surface; but was it really ok for him to circumvent his father’s will like this? Was it really ok to go to the surface behind Splinter’s back, despite all the warnings he’d been given over the years? Those thoughts whirled around his brain as though in a storm; his desire to go the surface battling and colliding with his wanting to be a good son.

He’d just finished sweeping the last bit of hallway when the sound of the dojo doors opening met his ears. Turning to look down the hallway Mikey heard the unmistakable sounds of his brother’s leaving the dojo. After a moment Splinter’s voice met his ears. “Good work my sons. You continue to improve and grow as ninja.” Three responses of, “Thank you, Sensei” met his ears.

After another brief pause Mikey heard Donnie’s voice calling his name. “Mikey? Where are you?”

Taking a deep breath he responded “In the hallway.”

A moment later Donnie appeared at the other end. “Hey……can you come with me to my lab?”

Mikey raised an eyeridge. “Why?”

Donnie shifted slightly. “Well……I wanted to take a look at your leg. I just wanna be sure it’s not getting worse.”

Shifting slightly Mikey bit his lip, forcing himself to remain calm as a firm throb of pain rippled through his leg. “O….ok.”

Moving towards Donnie Mikey paused long enough to put the broom back in the cleaning closet before following Donnie towards and finally into the lab. Watching as Donnie took a seat in his chair Mikey moved, climbing up and onto the examination table Donnie had set up and was now indicating to him. In front of him Donnie shifted, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen before moving in closer to look at his leg. Against his will Mikey felt his body shudder as Donnie’s fingers brushed against the scared skin. “How have you been feeling lately?”

Taking a deep breath Mikey willed himself to remain calm, as Donnie’s fingers continued to run across his skin. “I’ve been……ok.”

Donnie nodded. “Your leg hasn’t been hurting you?”

As Donnie spoke Mikey felt him press in, his fingers rubbing firmly against Mikey’s leg; causing another ripple of pain to flash. “N….no……everything is the same. Just aches and pains when I work it too hard.”

Donnie nodded. Continuing to run his fingers over Mikey’s leg Donnie could not help but note a fair amount of stiffness in the muscles; a sign that perhaps Mikey was regularly pushing and working his leg to its limit. Chancing a glance upwards Donnie felt his heart rate quicken as he found Mikey watching him. Taking a deep breath Donnie busied himself with shifting so he could now examine the large scar that ran from Mikey’s ankle to his midcalf’ Only then did he speak again. “And you Mikey……how have YOU been?”

Mikey bit his lip. Something in Donnie’s question felt off. As though there was some kind of hidden meaning behind it. Never the less, Mikey shrugged. “I’m fine Donnie. Really.”

Nervously Donnie chewed his lip. Taking a deep breath he shifted, looking up at Mikey for a moment before speaking again. “You’re feeling ok?” Mikey nodded. “You’re sleeping well?” again Mikey nodded. “Have you been feeling or thinking anything…….odd lately?”

In the back of his mind Donnie was vaguely reminded of how Raph had sounded that night on the rooftop; when Raph had asked those same questions of him. In front of him Mikey raised an eyeridge. “Odd? What do you mean odd?”

Donnie shrugged, doing his best to seen nonchalant and aloof, as though he were simply making small talk. “I don’t know just……any thoughts or feelings that are out of the ordinary; stuff like that.”

Mikey shook his head. “No…..not really.”

Again Donnie bit his lip. Something in Mikey’s voice……it was nothing big, just a slight change in the pitch. But it told Donnie that maybe, just maybe……there was something. Remembering what Leo had said Donnie decided to change subjects while at the same time moving to examine Mikey’s ankle. As he spoke Donnie did his best to keep his voice calm and caring. “Had any interesting dreams lately?”

Mikey felt his eyes widen in a mixture of shock and horror. Did Donnie know about the dreams he’d been having? Suddenly Mikey found his throat had become dry. Still he forced himself to swallow the lump that had appeared in his throat before speaking. “W…w….why do you ask?”

He watched as Donnie looked up at him, Donnie’s perfect brown eyes connecting with his. “I……sometimes when we come back from patrol…….I can hear you muttering and moaning in your sleep when I pass your room. And I……I wonder what you’re dreaming about.”

It felt as if the world around him had frozen. Mikey felt his breath hitch in his chest as Donnie’s words working through his brain. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. And for a moment he was struck by how easy it would have been to simply tell the truth, to tell Donnie about how he’d stopped taking his pain meds because he suspected they messed with his mind and were the reason he’d been having strange dreams: Dreams that nearly always focused on him and Donnie having sex. And yet, as he continued to stare into Donnie’s perfect brown eyes he felt his heart clench. If he told the truth……Donnie would hate him. He’d call him disgusting and never want to be around him again.

“Mikey……” a moment later Mikey was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Donnie’s hand touch his shoulder. Blinking in surprise Mikey found that Donnie had moved and was no standing in front of him, a look of loving covering his face. “Mikey……it’s ok…….you can tell me anything. I promise.”

Mikey felt his heart speed up. Donnie was so close, it would have been so easy to just reach out and pull his genius brother in for a kiss. It would have been so easy to simply take that chance and just try. And yet……..Mikey felt his heart clench painfully as he continued to look at Donnie. If he was wrong, and he took this shot and pulled Donnie in for a kiss there was no telling how Donnie would react. He felt his chest tighten and twist as he imaged Donnie pushing him away, yelling at him; calling him a freak and a sicko before ordering him out of the lab.

Taking a deep breath Mikey spoke. “No Donnie. It’s noth-”

But Mikey’s voice was cut off as Donnie let out an involuntary growl. A moment later Donnie shifted; his stance becoming apologetic while his face softened. “S….sorry…….but……it’s clear that something IS going on. Look…….if you don’t……if you don’t want to tell me, fine. But……..I’m always here for you ok? If you ever need to talk about anything, ANYTHING; I’m right here. Ok?”

Mikey bit his lip. He could see the pain in Donnie’s face. Pain his words and lie had caused. The pain he was responsible for causing. He felt something inside him clench with guilt as that thought filled his brain. He’d caused this; once again he’d caused Donnie pain. Mikey felt his heartbeat jump as Donnie moved to turn away. He needed to fix this; he needed to do something to…..

“THE RAIN!”

Mikey winced slightly at the sound of his own voice, in his rush to speak he’d half shouted at Donnie who turned back to look at him. “The rain?”

Taking several deep breaths Mikey forced himself to relax. He shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable as Donnie turned back to look at him. He supposed this wasn't a total lie, he had in fact had a dream about; “Remember that night when we were kids? And we snuck out of the lair to go walking in the rain?”

Donnie felt his eyes widen. “Y…..yeah…..I remember it.” It was true, that night was permanently etched in his brain. He’d never seen Mikey so happy, not before and certainly not since that night. In front of him Donnie watched as Mikey shifted, obviously uncomfortable. Kneeling down Donnie patiently waited for Mikey to continue.

“I…….I……..I’ve been…….dreaming…….about that night. About how……..how wonderful it was. But then…….then things change……you’re walking in the rain by yourself. And I’m……..I’m stuck. No matter what I do I can’t get my body to move. And all I can do is watch you as you walk through the rain away from me. And I want so badly to join you, and….”

Mikey broke off as his voice quivered. He could feel the faint sting as tears welled up in his eyes. He hadn’t meant to become emotional. He’d meant to tell Donnie about this dream and hopefully repair some of the damage he’d caused. And yet now his breathing had become labored, and his arms shook slightly as the memory of that dream filled his mind. He’d left out a few specific details. About the fact that in the dream he and Donnie were teenagers, not children. About how they’d been holding hands as they’d walked. About how Donnie had leaned in and given him a gently loving kiss, that made his heart swell and tingle. About how only after the kiss was he unable to move, becoming trapped and forced to watch as Donnie simply walked away but continued to call to him as though he were still-

But something pulled him from his thoughts. Mikey blinked, his mind going blank as he felt Donnie’s arms wrap around his shoulders. It had been a while since he and Donnie had hugged, it was something they had always done when they’d been young; but now that they were older……

Mikey moved, his arms slowly wrapping around Donnie’s shoulders, returning the hug. After a moment Donnie spoke softly. “I promise Mikey……..I promise you that someday you will come to the surface. I promise……”

Mikey bit his lip. He could have told Donnie. He could have told his brother about Leatherhead’s offer. Yet something made him remain silent. Some part of him deep in his mind told him, _no._ some part of himself made him keep silent, returning his brother’s hug until Donnie pulled back after a minute or so.

He looked down at his youngest brother. Sighing softly Donnie mentally chastised himself. He should have known it was something like this that would be bothering Mikey. He should have known that if Mikey was having weird or strange dreams about him or his brothers; that he would have said something. He knew in humans sexuality developed at different times. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him that just because he was closer to Mikey in age didn’t mean that Mikey was having the same thoughts or as he was.

Sighing softly again Donnie smiled at his brother; his smile widening as Mikey returned it. For now it seemed his questions would be needless. Mikey wasn't having any of the same urges as Leo, Raph or even himself. Taking a deep breath Donnie spoke. “Ok Mikey…….but I want you to promise me two things. Ok?”

Mikey nodded and Donnie held up a finger. “Promise me that the next time you have one of these dreams, you’ll come wake me up. Ok?”

Mikey nodded slowly. “Ok…..”

Donnie held up a second finger. “And promise me that if you have different kinds of weird dreams, you’ll let me know. Ok?”

Again Mikey nodded and agreed making Donnie smile wider.

 

 

** LATER **

****

Slowly he flipped through the pages of the comic book in front of him. In truth he wasn't really paying attention, when he’d been younger the brightly colored pages of superheroes and monster had fascinated him. But as he’d grown older they’d become boring and tedious; with the writers repeating and reusing old clichés and plots. Now he only pulled out the glossy stories whenever he needed to kill time but had nothing to do. Glancing sideways Mikey noted the time, 11:42pm. In just a few minutes Donnie, Raph and Leo would be back; and they’d be able to watch a movie together.

As childish as it might have sounded Mikey had found himself oddly excited by the idea of watching a movie with his brothers. It had been a long time since he’d just relaxed with them. Between his chores and his brother’s training; he rarely got to spend more than a few minutes with each brother. So the idea of getting to relax with them for more than an hour made him very happy. Flipping another page in the comic book Mikey felt his interest in the story end. Closing the book Mikey sighed softly and stretched, before moving to stand up. As he moved Mikey felt a pulse of pain ripple through his leg, so intense that he gasped before gritting his teeth.

Waiting for the pain to subside Mikey took deep breaths, doing his best to make himself relax. His head turned towards his bedroom door as the sound of the lair’s secret entrance opening and closing met his ears. Moving across his room Mikey was grateful when he found his leg wasn't as sore as it had been when he’d begun reading the comic book. Moving down the hallway and into the living room, Mikey found the sounds of his brothers’ voices coming from the dojo. Moving towards the dojo Mikey knew his brothers were busy removing their gear and placing it back on the racks that held them up.

Reaching the dojo doors Mikey paused as the sound of Raph's voice met his ears. “….thanks again Donnie. I didn’t even see that asshole coming at me.”

A moment later Donnie responded. “No worries Raph, it was nothing.”

Reaching out Mikey touched the door, slowly sliding it open a little so he could lean in and peek through the gap. He watched as Raph shook his head. “Still, thank you….”

Across from Raph Donnie; who was sitting on the floor shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. It really was nothing.”

Mikey watched as Raph rolled his eyes before beginning to move, walking across the room before stopping in front of Donnie, only to lean down and-

Mikey’s eyes widened as Raph tilted Donnie's head upward before bringing their lips together. Mikey felt his heart begin to beat faster as Donnie reacted, his eyes drifting closed as the kiss prolonged before breaking apart a moment later, allowing Raph to continue speaking. “I was trying to compliment you egghead, stop brushing it aside. You saved me from that thug. Thank you.”

Donnie smiled sheepishly. “Ok….thanks Raph……..but I’d do the same for Leo if he needed me to.”

At those words Mikey watched as Leo moved across the room, before mirroring Raph's movements as he leaned down to pull Donnie into a kiss.

His brain felt like it was working through a fog. This…..this couldn't b real. There was no way what he was seeing could really be happening. In front of him he watched as Leo and Donnie broke apart, a faint blush covering both their faces. After a moment Leo spoke. “Then consider that a down payment for the next time I need you to save my ass when we go topside.”

Donnie grinned at Leo. “If I didn’t know better I’d think this was a dream……but my dreams always involved a lot more kissing than just that.”

Both Raph and Leo grinned at each other for a moment before leaning in towards Donnie and-

All at once reality slammed into Mikey and he realized what he was seeing was not a dream but real. Taking several silent steps back away from the door Mikey felt his heart clench tighter and more painfully then it had ever done before. He felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs, and in the back of his throat he could feel the burning sensation that told him he was going to start crying. His body moved on its own, carrying him away from the dojo, out of the living room, and back up the hallway before returning him to his room and bed.

Gripping the blankets and sheets in his hand Mikey pulled them against his body, before pulling them over his head; cutting off himself off from the world and plunging him into darkness. He managed to take a single breath before tears overwhelmed him and he began to cry. It wasn't fair. It just wants fair!

How long had he dreamt of kissing and holding Donnie? How many nights had he laid awake feeling ashamed and terrible because he secretly loved the dreams between him and Donnie? How many days had he struggled with the pain in his leg thinking his pain meds were the source of these unnatural dreams? But now, as it turned out, he wasn't the only one having these dreams. He was just the only one who couldn’t act on them because he wasn't able to go to the surface with his brothers.

He felt his heart ache again, making him bite his lip until it hurt. It wasn't fair. He’d always been drawn to Donnie with seemingly no reason for the attraction. Why then were Leo and Raph so suddenly drawn to Donnie? More tears trickled down his face as Leo’s words echoed in his head, ‘ _down payment for the next time I need you to save my ass when we go topside_.’

He wanted so badly to kiss and hold Donnie, but he couldn’t because he wasn't able to go out and fight alongside his brothers. But no, he was stuck down here in the dank dark sewers while his brothers got to go to the surface and be ninja.

He wanted it to happen. He wanted so badly to go to the surface and fight alongside his brothers. When he’d first tried to resume his training he’d struggled to work through the pain in his leg. But in the end the pain had overwhelmed him. And now because of that, he was stuck underground, while his brothers were free to go to the surface and fight alongside each other. Again Mikey felt his insides twist. He knew warriors developed close bonds with one another. It would have been impossible for Donnie to not develop this kind of bond with Leo and Raph, but.....

Again Mikey felt his heart twist painfully as the mental image of Leo and Raph kissing Donnie while under the starry night sky sprang into his mind. He bit his lip again, ignoring the pain that lanced through his already battered body, instead focusing on burying the image of Raph and Leo kissing Donnie, as far down in his mind as he could. But as he did so a new image appeared in his mind unbidden, and unwelcome came a new image; one of him and Donnie sitting on a rooftop, their lips pressed together in a soft and gentle kiss. Against his will Mikey felt his heart rate speed up slightly.

But he was pulled from his thoughts by a soft knock at his door, followed by Donnie’s voice called out to him. “Mikey?”

He didn’t respond instead choosing to press his face against his pillow in an attempt to muffle the faint but uncontrollable sobbing sounds he was still letting off. After a moment Donnie tried again, knocking a little harder and speaking a little louder. “MIKEY?”

Again Mikey remained silent, pushing his face so hard into his pillow that he could barely breathe. After a moment Mikey heard the door to his room open, “Mikey? Are you awake?”

He remained still, doing his best to seem as though he was asleep. After several moments the sound of Donnie sighing before closing the door reached his ears. He remained silent and still, refusing to move as he listened to Donnie’s footsteps fade away as he moved away. Only when he could no longer hear Donnie’s footsteps did his move, pulling away from the pillow and taking a long deep shuddering breath.

For a moment he remained frozen, his brain completely blank. But then slowly he began to act. Slowly he moved, pulling the blankets away from his head before slowly sitting up in bed. Taking another breath he shifted, leaning over to pick up the shellphone Donnie had given him a few years ago. He was barely aware of his hands and fingers moving as he opened the phone and began to press the buttons before putting the device to his ear and listening to tones that followed.

After a moment the person on the other end of the line answered. “Hello? Littleone? Is everything al-”

But Mikey cut Leatherhead off, “I want to go to the surface.”


	7. Chapter 7

From his spot against the wall Rockwell watched as in front of him Baxter Stockman stood before a large video screen. On the screen a man clad in a hazmat suit was speaking. “Sir, we can’t find anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps if you were to tell us what we are looking for-”

But Stockman cut him off. “I can’t tell you what you’re looking for. I don't know what you’re looking for.”

The man on the screen blinked. “Then how-”

Stockman spoke, his voice filled with exasperation. “IT’S LIKE PORN. You don't know exactly what it is, but you’ll know it when you see it. Now, don't contact me until either you’re 100% sure there’s nothing to find, or you’ve found something. Goodbye.”

A moment later the video screen went blank. Sighing softly Stockman moved across the room before dropping himself into the chair behind his desk. Continuing to lean against the wall Rockwell spoke. “So what’s the real reason you can’t tell them what they’re looking for?”

Stockman chuckled softly. “What should I tell them?” Rockwell watched as Stockman tapped a button on his computer. A moment later the lights in the office dimmed and a 3dimentional hologRaphic video began to plan. Watching the video Rockwell, observed as 3 unknown individuals worked their way through the warehouse, attacking and knocking out the thugs that had broken in. as the video continued to play Stockman spoke. “Should I tell them that 3 mutant turtles broke into my facility and may or may not have left trace amounts of DNA, and that’s what I want them to find?”

Rockwell raised an eyebrow. “You really think it was mutant turtles? Isn’t it more likely that it’s some punk kids in cheap Halloween costumes?”

Rockwell felt his curiosity grow as Stockman fixed him with an odd smile. “What?”

Stockman shrugged. “Nothing. I just would have thought that a human who is psychic would be a little more open minded to the ideas of mutants.”

Rockwell shook his head. “My abilities are a result of science; of months and years of research and experiments. Yes your mutagen helped fill in the gaps, but I did most of the work. It wasn't random, it was on purpose. But this….” Rockwell indicated the holograms. “….seems to be completely random. The odds of that happening nearly are impossible.”

Stockman grinned. “Normally I would agree with you. But ask yourself this; how did I invent my mutagen formula? Most people don't wake up one day with a vision of a cyclo-mutagenic-retro-genophage in their mind. So how then did I come up with the formula?”

Rockwell remained silent for a moment. “I…..I don't know.”

Stockman’s grin grew. “Let me show you.” As he spoke Stockman began to type commands into his computer. “4 years ago, I was just getting my start. I owned a small biotech and pharmaceutical company that was doing well; we even had a warehouse down by the docks where we kept a bunch of surplus drugs and supplies. Then one night, I got a call; seems someone decided to break into the warehouse. After running an inventory check we found out that almost $10,000 worth of pain-killers and other medical supplies had been stolen. Luckily for me, I knew that at some point someone would try to break in; junkies will do really dumb things for a fix. So in preparation for this eventuality I had all of the guards wear body cameras. This is what they recorded on the night of the break in.”

A moment later the 3-dimentional video vanished, replaced by a grainy video of the inside of a dark warehouse. After a moment someone from the video began to shout. “THEY’RE ESCAPING!”

The video shifted, the carrier of the camera running through the warehouse before shoving open a metal door. Rockwell’s eyes widened as for a split second he caught sight of something trying to squeeze through a hole in the fence that surrounded the warehouse. The image was only there for a split second, ruined a fraction of a second later by the holder of the camera who pulled out his sidearm and began shooting, the flash causing the camera to sputter as it tried to compensate for the gun’s flash. But in that split second Rockwell could easily make out green reptilian skin and a shell of some kind.

As the video ended Stockman began to speak again. “Like you, the guards assumed the people who had broken in were wearing costumes. But on a hunch I went to the spot in the fence and check it out. And it’s a good thing I did. I found two samples, both of them blood; one sample on a smashed crate in the warehouse, and another on the fence. After analyzing the samples I found, this…..”

The video vanished instead replaced by a hologram of a DNA helix. Rockwell’s eyes widened. In his research he’d become familiar with how human should look; and the DNA in front of him was most certainly NOT human. Stockman continued. “This DNA structure is unlike anything else on the planet; a hybridization of human and turtle. But there’s more to it than that. This hybridization couldn’t ever happen naturally. Which means that someone or something altered the structures to make them compatible. So I ran a few tests, and found a bizarre and……well to be completely honest; alien substance. It was in every cell of the sample. That’s how it started, that’s how I came up with the idea for my mutagen. The same mutagen that gave you your powers. Sadly, you’re one of the few successes I’ve had with it.”

Rockwell cocked his head. “Why don't you just put the sample of DNA under a mass-spectrometer? That would tell you everything you need to know about it.”

Stockman shook his head. “Because the sample is too small. If I do that then the entire sample will be destroyed and there is no guarantee that the scan would tell me what I need to know.”

Rockwell nodded slowly. “Ok……and you think injecting your own version of this stuff and animal DNA into homeless people and then watching them, will help?”

Stockman nodded. “Of course. The homeless are a resource, just like everything else. On their own they serve no purpose, I clothe them, offer them a hot free meal; and in exchange they help me to unlock the secrets of this mutagen.”

Rockwell rolled his eyes. “But they all die as a result.”

Stockman shrugged. “Which tells me that the mutagen isn’t perfect. But now it’s late, and I have work to do. Leave me.”

Rockwell rolled his eyes again but did as he was told, pushing away from the wall before strolling out of the office.

Stockman watched as Rockwell left, waiting until he was sure Rockwell had truly gone. Sighing again he moved, tapping another button on his computer. A moment later the DNA structure vanished, replaced by a countdown time that showed 5months-15days-7hours-13minutes-27seconds. Again Stockman sighed before speaking under his breath. “I’m running out of time.”

 

 

** ELSWHERE **

 

 

Following Leatherhead through the tunnels Mikey could not help but feel slightly nervous. In front of him Leatherhead seemed to be able to sense his feelings. As they reached the corner of the tunnel they were in the large alligator stopped before turning to look at him. After a moment Leatherhead spoke. “Before we go any further little one, I would like to speak with you.”

Mikey nodded, shifting slightly out of nerves as he watched Leatherhead fix him with a firm gaze. “O-ok…..what is it?”

In front of him Leatherhead continued to look at him for a moment before speaking. “I wish to ask you, is this truly what you want? Even though I will be with you the entire time, the surface is a dangerous place.”

Mikey shifted, but nodded. “Y-yes……I want…….I NEED to do this.”

As he spoke Mikey’s clenched his hands until they made fists, the mental image of Raph and Leo kissing Donnie springing forth in his mind. He needed to do this, he needed to prove to himself that he could go to the surface and everything would be ok. He watched as Leatherhead continued to look at him for a moment before nodding. “Very well. But I have a few rules to go over with you first.”

Mikey nodded. “O-ok.”

Leatherhead held up a single claw. “Firstly, you must wear this.” as he spoke Leatherhead produced an old brown trench coat from the duffle bag he’d slung over his shoulder. Shifting he handed the coat to Mikey who looked at it for a moment before moving to put it on. As Mikey moved Leatherhead smiled, finding that the coat covered most of Mikey’s body and legs; hiding them from sight. He held up a second claw. “Secondly, you must do EXACTLY as I say.”

Mikey nodded. “Of course.”

But Leatherhead shook his head. “Allow me to be clear LittLeone. If we encounter hostile humans you will do as I say.” Mikey nodded. “If I say to hide you will do so.” Again Mikey nodded. “If I tell you to run back to the sewer you will?” Again Mikey nodded. “If I tell you to leave me to my fate and run until you are back at the lair, you will do as I have instructed?”

Mikey bit his lip. Part of him wanted to say yes; but another part of him felt guilty at the idea of leaving Leatherhead alone when he was in danger. Continuing to bite his lip Mikey slowly nodded, making sure to look directly at Leatherhead who nodded after a moment. “Very well. Follow me.”

Turning away Leatherhead moved down the tunnel, feeling Mikey fall in line behind him. As they moved through the underground maze of tunnels and passages Mikey spoke softly. “So……where exactly are we?”

Continuing to move Leatherhead spoke over his shoulder. “Several years ago a developer bought land up north in the hopes of making a natural spa resort; but the economy crashed and the project fell into disarray. However before that happened he had several miles of sewer lines and maintenance tunnels built. It is these tunnels that we’ll use to reach the surface. From there we will meet up with my friends who will be waiting for us a little ways away from the tunnel entrance.”

Turning down a tunnel Mikey stopped as he found that the tunnel in front of him was very different from the others. Unlike the other tunnels around him, this tunnel was newer. The bricks that made up the tunnel were brighter, a sign that they were newer. In front of him Leatherhead stepped into the tunnel before turning to look at him. “LittLeone…..are you ready for this?”

Taking a deep breath Mikey nodded. “Yes……yes I’m ready.”

Taking another deep breath he moved, taking a step forward into the newer tunnel which he found sloped slightly upwards. Each step they took seemed to make Mikey’s heart beat faster and faster. He was doing it; he was really going to go to the surface. He was going to see the sky, feel the air; it was finally happening. Each step echoed off the walls, making him feel slightly anxious as they continued to move through the brick and stone tunnel; and then…..

Mikey felt his heart jump into his throat. There in front of them, only 60 feet away was the end of the sewer line. As soon as that thought clicked in Mikey’s brain, he froze; his legs simple stopping. In front of him he watched as Leatherhead turned to look at him. “LittLeone……are you…..alright?”

He tried to open his mouth, to respond; to explain the emotions that were rushing through him. But his voice failed, leaving him standing there silently. It was really happening. He was really going to get to see the surface. For 4 years he’d given up hope of ever going to the surface. He’d resigned himself to the fact that he was too damaged to risked going to the surface and would therefore spend the rest of his life without ever seeing the sky, or feeling the wind or…….

His heart hammered in his chest as he remained frozen. He was so close; he could almost see the sky. From beyond the end of the tunnel he could hear sounds, soft hooting from small birds, the constant chirping of crickets and…….

Mikey felt his eyes widen as a faint rustling sound washed over him; the sound of the wind. Slowly something in his brain clicked, allowing him to look at Leatherhead who had moved closer and was watching him carefully. After a moment Leatherhead moved, reaching out to offer Mikey his hand. “Shall we LittLeone?”

His body moved on its own, his hand slowly reaching out to accept Leatherhead’s outstretched hand. He felt Leatherhead move, the large sewer gator taking a slow step towards the end of the tunnel and for a split second Mikey hesitated. Was he really ready for this? Was he really going to go against his father’s wishes and go the surface?

No sooner had the question sprang into his head than something else popped up; an image. Mikey bit his lip as feelings of sadness and pain clawed at his chest as he recalled with perfect detail the scene of Leo and Raph kissing Donnie. He felt his heart clench as he recalled the look on Donnie’s face; the look of bliss and joy. He bit his lip again, steeling himself before following Leatherhead and taking a small step forward. He wanted to be able to kiss Donnie too. He wanted to be able to make Donnie smile that way.

They moved slowly, Leatherhead moving first before pausing to allow Mikey as much time as he needed to take the next step. Each step he took made his heart thump faster and faster. But slowly, with each step…….it became easier. Each step seemed to take less effort, and soon he was no longer pausing but walking slowly, then normally and then…..

Mikey blinked, his entire body jerking as he found himself standing at the very edge of the tunnel he and Leatherhead had been in. in front of him Mikey felt his heart jolt as he watched Leatherhead take the final step, stepping out of the tunnel before turning to look at him. For a split second he froze. It felt like the entire world had come to a complete stop. Slowly he blinked, his head tilting upwards, his eyes widening as they took in the seemingly infinite number of stars that shown down at him from the night sky.

He felt his breath hitch in his chest as he continued to stare up at the star filled sky. He’d seen pictures of it; hell he’d plastered them all over the ceiling of his bedroom. He’d even looked up videos online of the night sky but…….but none of them did it justice. Each star twinkled and shown down on his, like a diamond surrounded by blackness. Slowly he shifted, pulling his eyes away from the night sky to look down at his feet which were only a few inches from the end of the tunnel. He was so close, so impossibly close to the one thing he wanted more than anything else. He bit his lip, taking a deep breath before……

A moment later he felt his foot move, lifting off the cold stone surface of the tunnel before stepping forward and down, only to come into contact with the warm dirt just beyond the tunnel. Again he froze, his vision turned downward as if he was surprised to find himself standing there. In front of him Leatherhead spoke softly. “LittLeone….are you-”

But the rest of Leatherhead’s words were cut of as Mikey moved, suddenly launching himself forwards only to wrap both his arms around Leatherhead’ arms in a tight hug. As he stood there, hugging Leatherhead’s arm Mikey found that he was crying, small tears of joy trickling down the sides of his face as he clung to Leatherhead’s scaly arm. “Th-tha-thank y-you.”

He felt Leatherhead sit, his free arm wrapping around Mikey’s body in a gently one armed hug. “Of course LittLeone. It’s my honor.”

They stayed like this for a few more moment, Mikey mentally willing Leatherhead to understand the flood of emotions that was raging through his body and mind. taking a deep breath Mikey slowly moved, letting go of Leatherhead’s arm before taking a small step back to look around the area they were in. it was come kind of construction site. To their right Mikey could see a half built building, composed of metal gurters and stone walls. To their left, a row of……

Mikey felt his eyes widen as a small breeze rushed passed them, making the row of large trees to their left rustle in its wake. He shuddered as the breeze rushed passed him, the fleeting glances and touches of the wind giving him chills, even through his jacket. Next to him Leatherhead spoke. “Come, let us find my friends.”

Falling back in place, Mikey followed Leatherhead towards the half constructed building. As they moved Mikey found that he could not keep his head still. He twisted, leaned and stared at everything around him. Under his feet the dirt felt so warm and almost soft; compared to the cold hard stone bricks of the sewer. Each breath he took, filled his lungs with crisp, clean cool air; filling his body with energy that made him want to run and jump and play as if he were a young child again.

He was wrapped in in looking around he failed to notice the small flight of steps in front of him; the result was that he stumbled, staggering up the steps before looking up and smiling sheepishly at Leatherhead who chuckled at him. Moving forward Mikey watched as Leatherhead came to a stop in front of a large sheet of plywood that had been places over the entrance to the half constructed building in front of them. Mikey watched, fascinated as Leatherhead reached out, his thick deadly claws easily working their way between the cheap wooden board and the stone wall of the building, before pulling the board of wood away from the doorway to the building. Shoving he board aside Leatherhead turned to look at Mikey before jerking his head towards the now exposed doorway. “Come, my friends are just inside.”

Nodding slowly Mikey swallowed softly before following Leatherhead into the half constructed building. As he stepped through the doorway Mikey felt his eyes widen as he found that he and Leatherhead were standing in some kind of atrium. All around them plants that had once been trimmed and cared for now grew wild, their leaves, stalks and vines all fighting to position against the polished stone walls. Under their feet a pathway of polished stone guided them through the artificial forest and towards…..

Mikey felt his heart freeze, as his eyes roved over a pair of shadows that were unmistakably human. His body moved on its own; shrinking backwards so as to hide behind Leatherhead’s much larger body. A small whimper escaped his mouth, an act that made Leatherhead pause and shift to look at him. “It’s ok LittLeone. These humans are friendly. I promise.”

Despite Leatherhead’s words Mikey felt his heart clench in fear as the shadows moved, seeming to turn in their direction. Another whimper escaped his mouth while his body began to shake and tremble in fear. Maybe coming to the surface had been a bad idea. He jerked slightly as he felt something touch his back; his head snapping up to find that Leatherhead had shifted, one of his I hands now resting against his shell. “It’s alright little one. I promise you’re safe. These are my friends….” As he spoke Leatherhead gestured to the shadows. A moment later Mikey felt his heart clench in fear as the source of the shadows stepped around the corner, taking the forms of a tall yet raggedly dressed man and a thin girl. “…..Kurtzmen and Irma.”

As Leatherhead spoke their names the humans smiled and nodded. A fresh wave of shudders rippled through Mikey’s body as he felt the human’s gaze look him up and down. He knew he was safe with Leatherhead. He had no doubt that not only would Leatherhead never willing lead him into danger; but if danger were to appear the large sewer gator could easily tear it’s head off. But that couldn’t stop him from shaking nervously as his eyes flickered up to Leatherhead’s face for reassurance. Above him Leatherhead smiled and nodded and his, gesturing to Irma and Kurtzmen who hadn’t moved. “It’s all right LittLeone. I promise.”

Forcing himself to act Mikey nodded, his grip on Leatherhead’s hand tightening as he made himself look at the humans before slowly opening his mouth. His voice shook and quivered uncontrollably, but after a few moments he managed to speak. “I-I…..My…I…” he felt Leatherhead’s hand squeeze his slightly. It was a simple act, but one that help to ground him slightly; allowing him to take a small breath before continuing. “.....I-I’m…..Mikey.”

He felt his heart jolt slightly as Kurtzmen nodded and smiled while Irma looked curiously at him. After a few moments Leatherhead spoke. “Do you know if you were followed at all?”

Kurtzmen shook his head. “No one comes up here anymore. You should know that.”

Despite his nervousness Mikey spoke weakly. “Wh-why don't people…..come up here?”

Kurtzmen smiled down at him. “Because there a big scary alligator monster that haunts the place.”

Mikey’s eyes widened before shifting to look at Leatherhead who smiled down at him for a moment before looking back at Kurtzmen. “Is everything ready?”

Kurtzmen nodded. “Yeah. Got the camp all set up, we just gotta get there.”

Leatherhead nodded before shifting to look down at Mikey. “Are you ready to go on your first mission LittLeone?”

Mikey’s eyes widened before nodded his head. Leatherhead chuckled. “Then come.”

Nodding Mikey followed Leatherhead who began to move forward towards Kurtzmen and Irma who turned and began to lead the way through the half built building. As they moved Mikey could not help but feel his skin crawl slightly. It was as though the workers who had been building the structure had simply walked away. Tarps and tools still lay where they’d been set, open cans of paint that had long since dried out sat collecting dust, even piles of tiles and wood remained where it had been left; as though frozen in time.

Shivering slightly Mikey did his best to hurry along, following Leatherhead who followed Kurtzmen and Irma through the building before coming to a stop in front of a large red door. Mikey watched as Irma moved forward before pulling the door open to reveal a staircase leading upwards. Nervously looking to Leatherhead Mikey watched as the large gator looked down at him and smiled reassuringly before moving towards the doorway and the stairs beyond.

Following Leatherhead through the doorway Mikey looked up, a faint feeling of uneasiness settling in his stomach as he found that he would have to climb several flights of stairs to reach the roof. Even as he looked up a faint twinge of pain rippled through his leg, enough to make his breath hitch slightly. Was he even going to be able to climb these stairs?

“LittLeone?”

Snapping out of his thoughts Mikey turned before hurrying towards Leatherhead and the others. “S-sorry.”

Smiling warmly down at him Leatherhead spoke. “it’s alright to be nervous LittLeone. But do not let those nerves or fears trap you.”

Coming to a stop in front of the large gator Mikey nodded, offering Leatherhead a weak smile before beginning to climb the staircase. In front of them, Kurtzmen and Irma led the way, with Leatherhead in the middle of Mikey at the rear. With each step he a slight twinge raced up his leg, making his grit his teeth and keep moving. He had to earn this.

He wanted to see the sky again. He wanted to stand under that ocean of stars with the knowledge that he’d earned it; and so he kept moving, following Leatherhead up the stairs even as pain lanced and wracked his leg. It was slow going, each step he took was accompanied by a surge of pain that made his chest tense and his breath hitch in his lungs. His hand gripped the railing of the stairs as tightly as he could, using it for as much physical support as moral.

He was so wrapped up in making sure he kept moving that he did not notice that the positions of the people in front of him had change. As he stepped onto the 3rd floor he stopped, taking several deep breaths before readying himself to continue onward.

“Leg hurting you?”

Flinching in surprise Mikey’s entire body jerked as he found that Kurtzmen had moved from the front of the group and was now standing only a few feet from him. Against his will Mikey felt his skin crawl as Kurtzmen looked at him. Taking another deep breath he forced himself to respond, the hand gripping the railing tightening slightly. “Y-yeah……a little.”

Kurtzmen nodded sympathetically. “Want a tip? When you go to lift try to push off with your toes. It helps the muscles in your thighs so they aren’t doing all the lifting.”

Mikey blinked up at him slightly surprised. Kurtzmen chuckled at the look of confusion on his face. A moment later the human shifted allowing Mikey an obvious view of the cane he was leaning on. As he did so Kurtzmen spoke. “Trust me. I know a thing or two about managing leg pains.”

Biting his lip Mikey watched as Kurtzmen to continue moving up the stairs; offering Mikey an unobstructed view of cane he leaned against for support. Taking a deep breath Mikey did as Kurtzmen had suggested, lifting his leg while pushing up with his toes. To his surprise he found that the pain in his leg was not nearly as bad as it had been before. Taking another breath he moved, following the group up the stairs until they reached the roof. Taking a deep breath Mikey stepped through the doorway leading outside; as soon as he was outside he felt a wave of something wash through him.

The rooftop was covered in small rocks, making the ground under his feet feel almost…..familiar. Looking up Mikey felt his breath catch in his lungs as once again the millions of stars above him glistened and sparkled like diamonds suspended in darkness. He felt his head swim slightly; a side effect of looking up for so long. Shaking his head slightly Mikey lowered his gaze, feeling the blood rush back to his head making him feel faintly dizzy.

“LittLeone….” Turning in the direction of Leatherhead’s voice Mikey found that Leatherhead had moved as was now standing at the edge of the room. After a moment Leatherhead spoke again. “…come.” As he spoke he gestured for Mikey to join him.

Moving across the rooftop Mikey moved so he was standing next to Leatherhead who gestured for him to look. A moment later Mikey felt the breath in his lungs freeze instantly. Far below them the city show, like a sea of multicolored gems stones; all of them twinkling and blazing with light. Next to him Leatherhead spoke. “Welcome to New York city LittLeone.”

For a moment he was stuck, his mind not able to comprehend what was happening.

 

He……was here……

He was………above ground…….

He……..was…….outside…….

 

Tears began to trickle down the sides of his face as he looked out over the city. It was so perfect. the lights shown up at him, almost welcoming him; as though they knew what he’d gone through to get here. Next to him Leatherhead shifted, reaching out to put his hand on his shoulder. “LittLeone……are you-”

But the rest of Leatherheads words were cut off as Mikey spun and pulled him into a tight hug. Tears were spilling from his eyes as he clung to Leatherhead, desperately hugging the large lizard as his entire body shook his emotions. “Th-th-thank…..you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

He repeated those words over and over, mentally praying that Leatherhead understood them. He’d never felt this way before. Yes he’d been happy before but……this level of elation in his body………he’d never felt it before. He’d never been so happy that uncontrollable tears of joy spilled over his face, or made his body shake uncontrollably. He was above ground, he wasn't trapped any longer, he could feel the wind on his skin, see the stars he……he……

He felt Leatherhead move, pulling him into a proper hug. “It was my pleasure LittLeone.”

Turning back to look at the city Mikey again felt his breath hitch in his chest as he looked out over the seemingly infinite sea of lights. Somewhere right then his brothers were out there, moving from rooftop to rooftop, guarding and protecting the city. He felt his heart clench slightly at that thought; his brothers out there, fighting together………..building their bond so it became stronger. Against his will the memory of Leo and Raph kissing Donnie sprang into his mind. He bit his lip, trying to quash the feelings of sadness and pain that welled up in his chest as he perfectly recalled the look of bliss on Donnie’s face.

Something changed then, the sea of lights in front of him somehow became……..

He turned away from the city, doing his best to push the thoughts of his brothers out of his head; instead turning to Leatherhead who had moved away and was now sitting with Irma and Kurtzmen around a small fire that was burning in and cut in half barrel. Moving towards the ground Mikey slowly sat down, wincing as a lance of pain shot up his leg. As he did so he heard Leatherhead speak to Kurtzmen. “How are things in the city?”

Kurtzmen sighed before shrugging. “Same as they always are. The three kings are tearing the city apart. The cops are outgunned and outnumbered. And most people are just caught in the middle of it all, not that they know anything about the gang war going on around them.”

Mikey watched as Kurtzmen turned to look at him. “Most people don't know it. But most of the city is run by three main powers.” As he spoke Kurtzmen held up a finger. “The first is Oroku Sai. To most people he’s just a billionaire, philanthropist who’s trying to rebuild the city and help it recover from its gang problems. What most people don't know is that he’s really a crime lord who runs the purple-dragon street gang. They were always around but since Oroku joined with them they’ve been getting much more powerful. Hell just last week they killed Matt Miller the leader of the Deckers gang and took over their turf.”

Mikey nodded and watched as Kurtzmen held up another finger. “Then you have Baxter Stockman. He’s some kinda super genius, says he’s gunna cure humanity. He runs the largest pharmaceutical company in the country. Thing is, to get that way he hires the local gangs to harass and intimidate the competition. He also seems oddly obsessed with the homeless. He’s always passing out fliers and pamphlets about low income housing that he’s running. But after people sign up they just sorta……vanish. Plus he’s got a bunch of government contracts with agencies I’ve never even heard of before. And any man who is friendly with government spooks is a dangerous.”

Again Mikey nodded and Kurtzmen held up a third finger. “And lastly……..TCRI. Not really sure what their deal is. They showed up about….6 years ago, and then it seems like almost overnight they have almost completely taken over communications within the city. Cellphones, radio, even TV; almost all the signals in the city go through a TCRI tower. Thing is……..they give me the creeps.” As he spoke Kurtzmen shuddered slightly. “There is just something…….unnatural about them. Like they aren’t even human.”

As Kurtzmen finished speaking Mikey bit his lip for a moment before speaking softly. “Wh-why aren't you a cop anymore?”

Kurtzmen sighed before speaking. “I…..got shot……..4 times in the leg. After that…….things just kept slipping. I lost my job, my house…….my friends……..ended up living on the streets. Which is how I met Leatherhead actually. I wandered into the sewers to try and find a place to stay. Thought for sure I was losing my mind when I first saw him in the water of the tunnel I was in. and I thought for sure he was gunna eat me when he saw me.”

Leatherhead chuckled. “I thought about it.”

Kurtzmen laughed. “I could’ve taken you.”

Mikey chuckled as Leatherhead let out a throaty laugh. Turning to look at Irma Mikey felt himself shrink back slightly as the human girl met his gaze unblinkingly. After a few moments Mikey spoke. “And……how did you meet Leatherhead.”

Irma continued to look at him for a moment before speaking, her voice carrying with it a kind of firmness that told him not to ask questions. “I ran away from home when I turned 16. I was sleeping under a bridge when some drunks decided they wanted to……have me for some fun. Leatherhead saved me but got injured while doing it. I……cared for his injury and we became friends.”

As Irma finished talking Kurtzmen spoke, nodding towards Mikey. “What about you? how did you meet out giant scaly guest of honor?”

Mikey shifted, suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable under the gaze of the two humans. But fair was fair, they had told him so it was only fair that he tell them. “I…….I ran away from home because of……an argument with one of my brothers. I ended up getting swept away by the current in one of the tunnels and…….hurt my leg. Leatherhead found me and took care of me for as long as he could. And then he brought me back home when I started getting really bad.”

Kurtzmen smiled and looked to Leatherhead. “for such a big tough guy you sure do like to save people.”

Leatherhead shrugged. “There is enough pain and violence in the world. If I can help to try and be rid of some of it, I will.”

Kurtzmen chuckled before reached back behind him, speaking as he did so. “Then I propose a toast…..” a moment later he turned back around a series of metal cans clutched in his hands. Mikey watched as Kurtzmen handed Irma a can before handing the rest to Leatherhead who in turn passed one to him. Turning the can over in his hand Mikey stared down at it, taking In the bright orange coloring. “…….a toast, to Leatherhead. Thanks for saving our asses when we needed it.”

Smiling Mikey moved, pulling the metal tab on the can before raising it towards Leatherhead who shifted, obviously slightly embarrassed. A moment later Mikey put the can to his lips and drank, coughing slightly as the liquid inside burned his tongue and throat as he swallowed it. Continuing to cough Mikey did his best to distract himself, turning his head upwards to gaze once more at the seemingly infinite sea of stars above them. He could hear Leatherhead and Kurtzmen talking but their conversation seemed…….unimportant to him.

He could not help but take it all in. the thin flickering lights of the stars as they hung suspended in the black night sky. The pale full moon as it hung behind the city like something out of a movie. The gentle breeze as it fluttered passed them, making him cold as it did so. The gentle crackling of the fire, the cool metal can in his hand, even the sounds of Kurtzmen and Irma’s voices; everything had come together.

It was as though someone had reached into his head and found exactly what he’d hoped the surface would be like, and then made it real. Time simply vanished as he stared up at the stars. It was almost……

“LittLeone…..”

Startled slightly by the sound of Leatherhead’s voice Mikey flinched, before turning to look at the large gator who sat next to him. “Ye-yeah?”

Leatherhead shifted slightly. “We will have to return to the sewer soon. Ok?”

Biting his lip Mikey nodded. He’d known it was only temporary. That, like his brothers he couldn’t stay above ground for long. Closing his eyes Mikey took a deep breath, filling his lungs with as much air as he could, until they started to ache. Releasing the breath Mikey open his eyes again. “Ok……I’m ready.”

Standing up Mikey handed the now empty can to Kurtzmen who stuffed it in a small bag that clinked and rattled as it moved. Smiling at the human Mikey spoke. “Thank you for that tip about walking.”

Kurtzmen nodded. “No worries. Next time If you like I can show you some other stuff. Way to run, fight, even swim if need be.”

Mikey nodded. “O-ok.”

Following Leatherhead their little group moved, first back into the stairwell before slowly making their way to the bottom floor and back out to the lobby of the half-finished hotel. As they reached the front doors Leatherhead spoke. “Irma, Kurtzmen…..stay safe.”

Kurtzmen nodded. “We will Leatherhead. And you two be careful too.”

Leatherhead and Mikey nodded before exiting the hotel, pausing just long enough for Leatherhead to replace the plywood boards they’d had to remove early. It was here that they split up, with Kurtzmen and Irma moving back towards the distant glowing lights of the city; while Leatherhead and Mikey made their way back to the sewer line they’d used to get there.

As he climbed back into the paved pipe Mikey stopped, taking one last look at the sky and all the stars that shown down on him. He’d made it……he’d gone to the surface. Taking a final deep breath of fresh air Mikey moved, turning and lowering himself into the pipe before hurrying to follow Leatherhead back home.


	8. UNSEEN plans

It became a kind of ritual. Each night he would wish his brothers a safe patrol before moving to stand by Leatherhead who would fall in line behind Mikey’s brothers and follow them out of the lair. Once at the end of their tunnel the two groups would split off. Mikey’s brothers heading towards their patrol on the left; while he and Leatherhead turned right and began to move towards Leatherhead’s lair. Once at Leatherhead’s lair they would wait for a few hours, often watching TV or playing board games until it was time. Then they would move, creeping out of the lair and down the maze of tunnels and sewer ways; making their way from the old sewers to the newer section that led to the surface.

Each time he saw it Mikey could not help but pause as he looked out at the night sky. The stars above him twinkled at him, as though lovingly beckoning him forward. It seemed so calm, so inviting; when he was topside he felt as though he didn’t have a care in the world. The feeling of the wind on his face, the cool night air filling his lungs; making him feel fresh and full of energy.

Of course each trip to the surface was not without risks. During one trip He, Leatherhead, and their human friends had been forced to hide as some human scavengers had scoped the abandoned hotel complex for salvageable materials. But even that had provided a thrill, not only giving him a thrill as he skulked and hid in the shadows but also working with Leatherhead to scare the scavengers away. Every time he remembered the way they’d run and screamed as they’d tripped over each other in fear as they’re run away from the hotel; he could not help but grin widely.  

Of course there was always a price to pay and the next day Mikey always paid that price. The day after his trips to the surface Mikey would awake, his teeth locked together as his leg throbbed and ached in almost unbearable pain. Not only that but the day after his trips to the surface a sense of fatigue would follow him throughout the day, leaving him slow and drained, often times resulting in him falling asleep in the living room while on the couch or one of the beanbag chairs; only to be woken up several hours later by Leo, Raph or Donnie. It was those times he felt guilty. Each time he awoke with his brothers looking down at him he could see their concern for him etched into ever part of their faces.

Yet try as he might he could not bring himself to tell them of his and Leatherhead’s trips. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; quite the opposite in fact. He wanted so badly to tell them that he’d been to the surface, that he’d seen the night sky and felt the wind on his face and breathed fresh air; he wanted so badly to tell them it almost hurt. And yet each time the thought occurred to him a little voice in his head spoke up. ‘ _They’ll make you stop. They think you’re too weak. You’ll never be able to go with them. You’ll never be able to kiss Donnie._ ’

And so he remained silent feigning his fatigue on bad dreams or restless nights; an excuse that always seemed to work. Someday…….he’d tell them someday……..someday when he felt he’d accomplished something. When he’d proven to them that he wasn’t a child. That he could stand on his own. That…….that he was worthy to kiss Donnie.

Slowly Mikey moved through the lair, doing his best to carry the large hamper of dirty towels and wrappings while his leg throbbed and ached from last night’s trip. He bit his lip, forcing himself to keep going; he’d already gotten the towels from his brother’s bedrooms and Raph's gym, now he just had to grab the towels from the dojo and he’d be able to start the laundry.

Pushing open the door to the dojo Mikey paused slightly as he found he was not the only one in the room. For several moments Mikey watched as Donnie moved; taking a step forward before bringing his right leg up and striking one of the practice dummies in the abdomen before pulling away and repeating the action. Against his will Mikey bit his lip, his eyes raking across Donnie’s body.

He bit his lip harder, Donnie seemed…….perfect. slim and tall, yet at the same time somehow curvy, his muscles rippling each time he moved; he looked………heavenly. Shaking his head Mikey did his best to quite the thoughts in his mind. No…..no……no…..he wasn’t worthy yet; he hadn’t done anything to prove that he wasn’t anything more than their crippled brother. He…..against his will his eyes raked his brother’s body. How good would it feel to be pressed against Donnie? To kiss him? To feel their chest’s pressed together, to feel Donnie’s hands-

“Mikey? Hello anyone there?”

A split second later he flinched as reality snapped back into place, pulling him from his thoughts. He jerked slightly started by Donnie who appeared to have magically moved across the room and was now standing in front of him with a slightly puzzled look on his face. Blinking rapidly Mikey spoke. “H-hey d-d-Donnie. S-s-sorry. I……was lost in my thoughts.”

Donnie smiled warmly, a gesture that seemed to make Mikey’s heart swell slightly. “What were you thinking about?”

Again Mikey bit his lip, his mind scrambling for something he could use. “I…….It’s been a long time…….since I was in the dojo……that’s all.”

As he spoke Mikey could not help but shift a little, his shoulders slumping slightly. It was true, yes he occasionally came in to grab the towels or polish the training weapons but he never stayed long. It just……it felt wrong. He wasn’t a ninja, he had no right to be in where his brothers trained.

“Mikey……”

Shaking his head Mikey did his best to smile. “It’s ok though. I know I’d just get in the way of your guy’s training. Its better I stay out.”

Donnie bit his lip, his heart clenching painfully at his brother’s words. He knew the smile that covered Mikey’s face was forced; and he could see the pain in his brother’s eyes as he spoke. As much as it had hurt, Mikey truly must have believed the words he was saying. Taking a deep breath Donnie med reaching out before pulling the clothing hamper out of Mikey’s grasp and setting it down next to the door to the dojo. Again he reached out, touching and gripping Mikey’s wrist. “Come on.”

He felt Mikey resist, a look of uncertainty flickering across the young turtle’s face. “D-Donnie? What…..what are-?”

Again he pulled, leading Mikey into the dojo and towards one of the practice dummies. Coming to a stop Donnie turned, looking at his confused brother. “I’m gunna give you a lesson. I know you can’t do a lot of the complex maneuvers and techniques the rest of us can. But you should at least know how to throw a punch or block an attack.”

Mikey bit his lip. In truth he sort of liked the idea. He didn’t really know how to defend himself and with master Splinter getting up in years he couldn’t reliably depend on the old rat if something or someone were to find their lair. But at the same time……

But if Donnie saw any of the hesitation in Mikey’s eyes he ignored in, stead turning to face the practice dummy, before taking a relatively easy stand, turning his back foot away from his right so that his heels for a 90 degree angle from each other. “Just copy me. Ok? I promise it’ll be easy.”

Biting his lip again Mikey took a deep breath before doing as he been told, moving so he stood a few feet to the side of his brother before mimicking the stance Donnie had taken. He watched as Donnie moved, bringing his back foot forward before lashing out with his left arm and throwing a punch. Slowly he moved, mimicking the movements Donnie had showed him, noting with a small amount of surprise that his leg did not throb and ache as much as he had expected it to.

Slowly they went through the movement, repeating the same attack several times before shifting to another one, then another, then another. It felt odd to be learning how to fight. He’d gone so long without doing any real training that he’d forgotten a few things like certain stances or the names of a few movements. And yet once Donnie showed him it all came rushing back to him. Slowly Donnie sped up, taking him through the movements a little faster, making Mikey work slightly to keep up with him.

Carefully Donnie watched his brother, making sure the moves and techniques he was demonstrating weren’t hurting Mikey or cause him pain. He could easily see the look of excitement on Mikey’s face. He watched; glad to see that each time Mikey mirrored his movements a small smile would spread across Mikey's face. He felt his heart swell whenever Mikey was able to succeed and made sure to gently correct Mikey whenever he made a mistake. They began to work in unison, their movements slowly syncing up with the other until they were almost moving at the exact same time. And so they worked slowly moving through half a dozen techniques over the course of several hours; and for the first time in a long time, Mikey felt like a connect to his brothers that he hadn’t felt in years.

 

 

** LATER **

 

 

Slowly Mikey sunk down the wall of the dojo, panting softly as he allowed himself to relax. Next to him Donnie smiled, sinking down so they were sitting together. “How are you feeling Mikey? Are you ok?”

Turning his head Mikey smiled widely. He felt amazing. His heart was thumbing strongly in his chest, much stronger than it had pumped in years. His arms and legs shook slightly from exhaustion, but in a way that made him feel like he’d actually accomplishing something meaningful as a result of his own. Small beads of sweat dotted his skin, making him feel like he’d truly accomplished something. Across from him Donnie was in a similar boat. Mikey shuddered, a small wave or arousal washing through him as Donnie’s musky sweaty scent met his nose. Against his will he shuddered again.

Donnie smelt amazing, and in addition to smelling amazing Donnie LOOKED amazing too; with his muscles clearly defined and twitching slightly from the workout. Despite his arousal Mikey looked down at himself. He wasn’t exactly fat, in fact he was very skinny; but his body lacked the muscle definition and details that Donnie’s had. Donnie body looked amazing, his arms, and legs were lean and muscular without a single ounce of extra body fat, while his chest stomach and plastron were flat and smooth. In comparison Mikey’s arms and legs were a bit bigger, his chest and plastron wasn’t as flat and he certainly didn’t have the muscle definition Donnie or Leo and ESPECIALLY Raph, had.

Biting his lip Mikey tried to not let this small fact get to him. Next to him Donnie shifted reaching out to touch one of Mikey’s hands. “Hey…..you ok?”

Mikey shifted, again looking at his secret desire, finding his gaze instantly drawn to Donnie’s perfect brown eyes. “I……..I…….I……” he felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster. Donnie was so close. It would have been easy to simply lean over and kiss him; to finally rid himself of his secret want and just try. Yet as much as he craved the feeling of Donnie’s body and lips against his he denied himself. Instead forcing himself to look at his own feet and the floor of the dojo before speaking. “I…….I missed this……a lot. I missed…..training and being a ninja…….and………being a part of this family.”

Donnie’s heart clenched painfully as he listened to his brother speak. “listen Mikey……” reaching out Donnie touched Mikey’s shoulder reassuringly. “You’re always a part of this family. Doesn’t matter if you train with us or not. Understand?”

Donnie watched as Mikey nodded. But he could tell it was just an act. The way Mikey’s shoulders remained slumped told Donnie that his little brother didn’t actually believe what he had been told. Biting his lip Donnie remained silent for a moment. He hated seeing Mikey like this. “What if we did this more often?”

Slowly Mikey shifted to look at him. “What do you mean?”

A smile began to spread across Donnie’s face. “What if you and I trained together once or twice a week? It would be good for you actually. It would help stretch out your muscles and get your heart rate up. What do you think?” He watched as Mikey looked at him, and for a moment Donnie could see a small hint of fear in his brother’s face. But almost a second later the fear vanished as a smile spread across Mikey’s face and he nodded. “I……I’d like that……a lot.”

Donnie smiled, reaching over to give his little brother a small hug before slowly getting to his feet before moving around to offer Mikey a hand in standing up. “Good. From now on we’ll train on……Tuesdays and Thursdays and maybe Sunday if you feel up for it. Sound good to you?” again Mikey nodded, reaching out to take Donnie’s hand before slowly getting to his feet. He stood there with Donnie, smiling foolishly at his older brother who smiled back at him. For a moment he considered it. Once again he was so close to Donnie; it would have been easy to just lean in and kiss him. Yet as he looked at Donnie’s face, at the compassion and love Donnie was showing him; he knew he still wasn’t worthy.

Not yet at least.

 

 

** LATER **

****

****

Sinking onto his bed Mikey allowed the towel he’d been using to dry himself with, fall to the floor. Glancing at the clock that sat on his nightstand Mikey sighed. Leo, Raph and Donnie would be leaving for their patrol soon. Which meant Leatherhead would be here soon to pick him up and take him back to the abandoned resort they had been visiting. Sighing softly Mikey lay back on his bed. it wasn’t that he didn’t like the resort. On the contrary, he loved it. The sight of the stars above him. The feeling of the wind on his skin, the seemingly endless fresh air that filled his lungs with every breath. It was almost perfect; almost.

As perfect as the old resort seemed Mikey could not help but yearn for more. They’d been visiting the old resort with Kurtzmen and Irma for almost a month. And while he was always amazing at first the enthusiasm would slowly wear off the longer they stayed. The simple truth was that the old resort was losing its appeal. Nothing exciting ever seemed to happen there. At first the occasional homeless person or bum would wander in and there would be some momentary excitement as Leatherhead and Mikey would work to scare the person away. But after this happened a few times Kurtzmen and spread the rumor that the resort was possibly being looked at for purchase and that soon guards would be keeping an eye on the place. Since then no one came to the resort anymore which meant when he and the others were there it was completely empty.

Sighing again Mikey moved, sitting back up as the sounds of loud plodding feet met his ears. A moment later Leatherhead pushed opened the door to his bedroom. “Littleone are you ready to leave?”

Sighing again Mikey nodded before slowly getting to his feet, wincing slightly as his leg twinged with pain. “Yeah……I’m ready.”

Moving into the hallway Mikey followed Leatherhead back into the living room where Donnie, Raph and Leo were standing by the door talking to master Splinter. As they neared the group Mikey was able to make out what master Splinter was saying. “Be smart, brave and safe my sons”

Leo nodded. “We will master Splinter.”

A moment later master Splinter turned to face him. “And the same to you Michelangelo. be mindful of what Leatherhead tells you and stay out of sight.”

Unbidden in the back of his mind Mikey could not help but be bothered by what Splinter had told him. He’d told Donnie, Leo, and Raph to be smart, brave and safe. But Splinter had told him to basically stay out of the way. Biting his lip slightly Mikey nodded. “I will.”

A moment later Leatherhead chuckled. “don't worry. We’ll stay hidden and in the shadows.”

Mikey bit his lip, a slight flare of resentment blossoming in his stomach at Leatherhead’s response.

Leaving the lair Leatherhead and Mikey moved with Mikey’s brothers. Making their way down the tunnel before coming to the fork in the road. Saying his goodbyes to his brother’s Mikey could still hear Splinter’s words in his head. “ _be smart,  brave and safe. Stay out of sight.”_

Involuntarily Mikey’s jaw tightened slightly. He was tired of being treated like a child. Sure he might not have had the skills that his brothers had, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle himself. It wasn’t like he was some idiot who’d walk out into the middle of the streets and expose his existence to the humans. He may not have known much about fighting but he knew how to hide in the shadows. He did not need to be told to hide like some kind of…..invalid child.

 Looking sideways at Leatherhead Mikey felt that slight pang of resentment at Leatherhead’s response flare back up again. What if he didn’t want to stay hidden?

Biting his lip again Mikey made up his mind. If Splinter and Leatherhead were going to see him as a child, he’d just have to show them that he wasn’t one.

 

 

** MEANWHILE **

****

****

Stockman watched the screen in front of him. On the screen Rockwell stood in front of one of the more recent experiments they’d conducted. Glancing at the experiment number Stockman recalled that the experiment was a a 26 year old woman who’d they ‘recruited’ from a homeless camp and injected her with mutagen and fish DNA. The results at first had been promising. The women had developed the basic internal structures that normally housed fish gills. But looking over the notes of the experiment Stockman frowned. The experiment wasn’t going the way he’d hoped. He’d hoped that the extra DNA he’d injected into the host would bond with the DNA of the host which he’d made more malleable by injecting her full of genetic cleansers. But now her human body appeared to be rejecting the mutations they’d triggered; with her own immune system attacking her body, slowly killing her.

After several moments Rockwell spoke. “As you can see; the experiments are failing. Just like all the others before. They get as far as stage 2 with physical mutations but then their own bodies turn against them.”

Stockman nodded. “I can see that.”

Rockwell opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off as the women on the examination table next to him woke up, her arms thrashing and flailing around as she began screaming in pain. A moment later automatic restraints kicked in, tightening around the women’s arms and neck and pinning them to the metal table. But the restraints didn’t stop her from screaming and trying to move.

Stockman watched as Rockwell roll his eyes. “As you ca-” but the rest of what Rockwell was saying was cut off as the women let out an earsplitting scream of pain. Pausing for a moment Rockwell tried again. “As you can se-” again the women screamed, cutting off what Rockwell was saying. Glowing in annoyance Rockwell tried again. “As-” once more the women screamed cutting off what he was saying.

Turning furious to look at the women Rockwell shouted. “SHUT UP!”

It was like someone flicked a switch. Instantly all sounds from the women ended abruptly; and although she continued to writhe and open her mouth to scream and cry, no sounds came from her.

Pausing for a moment to make sure his psychic instructions would stick Rockwell turned and looked back at the monitor. “As you can see this latest batch is a failure too.”

Stockman nodded. “Yes. And it’s a waste to continue the remaining experiments when we know they’ll fail too. Terminate the remaining experiments. Then we’ll start over.”

Rockwell nodded. “We’re running low on test subjects again.”

Stockman sighed. “Looks like it’s time for another recruitment drive. You know what to do.”

Rockwell nodded and a moment later the monitor went blank.

 

 

** MEANWHILE **

 

 

Closing her eyes April smiled. She could feel it. Something had changed. Something had shifted and now new possibilities were open to them.

“We going into the city?”

April smiled, turning to look at Casey who was grinning. “Yeah. There’s been a shift in the balance of power. Something is gunna happen. Something that will completely change what is to come.”

Casey shifted, cocking his head to the side. “Any idea what?”

April shook her head. “Four knights are going to step onto the battlefield. But I don't know more than that.”

Casey shifted. “Can you see whose side they’ll take in this war?”

April shook her head. “No. It doesn’t work like that.”

Casey shrugged. “Oh well. Look out New York, here we come.”


End file.
